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REMINISCENCES  AND  MEMORIALS. 


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REMINISCENCES  and  MEMORIALS 


OF 


Men  of  the  Revolution 


AND    THEIR    FAMILIES. 


By    A.    B.    MUZZEY. 

*   >  (  I   »  •      ■>>., 


FULLY    ILLUSTRATED. 


'  Let  all  the  ends  thou  aim'st  at  be  thy  country' 
Thy  God's,  and  truth's." 


BOSTON: 

ESTES     AND     LAURIAT, 

301-305  Washington  Street. 

1883. 


MS 


Copyright,  1882, 
By    A.     B.     M  i  z/.  i-  v. 


/V<? /f 


Universtty  Press: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


PREFACE. 


The  purpose  of  this  book  is  twofold.  First,  to 
give  recollections  of  men  of  the  Revolution,  and 
members  of  their  families,  with  whom  the  writer 
has  had  more  or  less  personal  acquaintance.  This 
explains  the  omission  of  others  equally  prominent, 
and  otherwise  entitled  to  the  same  notice.  Occa- 
sional exceptions  to  the  course  indicated  will  be 
seen,  especially  in  the  case  of  men  very  distin- 
guished in  our  Revolutionary  history.  Secondly, 
the  aim  of  the  book  is  to  give  records  of  these 
men  in  their  public  positions,  and  in  their  family 
relations  both  to  those  born  before  themselves  and 
to  those  living  subsequently  to  their  death. 

I  have  thought  it  consistent  with  the  plan  and 
method  laid  down,  to  introduce  occasionally  tra- 
ditions and  incidents  not  in  the  direct  line  of  the 
men  noticed,  yet  important  as  illustrating  customs 


M111767 


IV  PREFACE. 

and  events  which  did  much  to  shape  or  illustrate 
their  particular  characters.  This  statement  may 
meet  objections,  otherwise  pertinent,  of  an  appar- 
ent lack,  at  some  points,  of  coherence  and  rela- 
tivity between  the  several  parts  of  the  book.  It 
also  relieves  the  writer  from  the  charge  of  occa- 
sional repetitions,  unavoidable  in  his  plan.  It 
explains,  too,  the  need  he  felt,  in  some  instances, 
of  bringing  before  the  reader  narratives  and  quo- 
tations not  entirely  fresh,  but  still  helpful  to  his 
purpose,  and  which  can  hardly  be  too  often  re- 
peated in  American  history. 

In  a  work  like  this  —  abounding  in  details,  and 
resting,  as  all  history  does,  more  or  less  on  proba- 
bilities —  slight  errors  are  almost  unavoidable.  A 
book  of  mingled  reminiscences  and  records  cannot 
alwaj's  name  its  authorities.  I  have,  generally, 
avoided  footnotes,  —  often  not  read  at  all,  and 
seldom  wholly  agreeable  to  the  reader. 

One  chapter  has  been  in  print  before,  but  it 
seems  important  to  the  completion  of  this  volume. 
It  contains  a  few  statements  embraced  in  pre- 
vious chapters,  which  could  not,  however,  I  found, 
be  separated  from  their  connections. 

Many  thanks  are  due  to  those  who  have  en- 
couraged and  aided  the  author  in  his  work.  To 
name  all  those  who  have  kindly  supplied  me  with 


PREFACE.  V 

books  essential  to  the  completion  of  this  volume 
would  require  a  large  space.  And  to  add  to  this 
list  the  many  who  have  given  me  assistance  by 
conversation  and  by  personal  services  is  quite 
beyond  my  ability.  I  do  not  forget  the  call  on 
my  gratitude  of  those  upon  whom  I  had  no 
special  claims.  Nor  am  I  insensible  of  obliga- 
tions to  those  to  whom,  although  previously 
strangers,  I  am  indebted  for  valuable  suggestions 
and  information. 

I  have  been  led  by  personal  acquaintance  and 
connections  to  confine  my  notices  of  men  and  their 
families  largely  to  my  immediate  vicinity.  This 
has  occasioned  a  fear  of  local  prejudices,  and  of 
injustice  to  those  in  other  sections  of  the  country. 
Our  debt  to  them  is  very  great.  Lest  it  should 
be  underestimated  in  this  book,  I  have  added  a 
special  chapter  on  the  Patriots  of  the  Middle  and 
Southern  States,  and  hope  it  may  show  at  least  an 
attempt  to  do  strict  justice  both  to  the  military 
and  civil  services  of  those  States  in  the  noble  work 
of  resolving  upon  and  achieving  our  national 
independence. 

The  work  has  extended  much  beyond  the 
original  plan  of  the  author.  If,  in  its  wide  range 
of  characters,  any  part  of  it  shall  give  the  reader 
a  small  portion  of  the  interest  felt  by  the  writer 


Vi  *  PREFACE. 

in  the  long  line  of  illustrious  men  brought 
before  him,  in  this  cursory  review  of  their  high 
purposes  and  generous  sacrifices,  his  reward  will 
be  ample. 

A.   B.   MUZZEY. 

Cambridge,  November,  1882. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introduction. 


Importance  of  the  Revolutionary- 
period    1 

Needs  of  the  historian      ....  1 
Facts,  the  basis  of  history    .     .     .  2 
Materials  for  history  largely  bio- 
graphical      2 

Scope  of  biographies 3 

Influence  of  individuals        ...  4 

Discipline  in  the  French  War    .     .  4 
Work   of    yeomen  at  Lexington, 

April  19,  1775 4 

Heroes  in  the  ranks 5 

Desire  for  their  annals      ....  5 

Interest  in  Revolutionary  families  5 

Political  education  in  the  family    .  6 

Power  of  heredity 6 

Loss  of  good  words,  such  as  home- 
stead        7 

Resemblance  of  parent  and  child  .  8 

Webster  on  family  obligations       .  8 

Remark  of  John  Quincy  Adams   .  9 
Influence   of   the  families  of  the 

"  Mayflower " 9 

That  of  the  Otises,  Adamses,  and 

Winthrops 9 

German,  French,  and  English  fam- 
ilies    10 

Dangers  of  indifference  to  our  an- 
cestry       10 

Lafayette  on  the  connection   be- 
tween family  and  country     .     .  11 
Mutual  help  oi  the  towns,  and  the 
Provincial  and  the  Continental 
Congress 12 


Menaces  from  the  British  throne 
and  Parliament 13 

Strong  men  from  good  homes  the 
need  of  the  hour 13 

A  hero  to  command  essential,  and 
a  "  military  family  "    ....     14 

Importance  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati  foreseen  by  Wash- 
ington at  its  foundation     ...     15 

Relation  between  America  and  the 
mother  country 16 

Our  British  ancestors 16 

Alienation  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  United  States  waning 
to-day 17 

"Era  of  good  feeling"  after  the 
Avar  of  1812 17 


Harmonizing  influences    .... 

Lecture  of  Edward  Everett       .     . 

South  and  North  unite  after  the 
Civil  War 

Interest  of  Queen  Victoria  in  the 
sickness  of  Garfield       .... 

Love  of  home  and  of  country  one 
with  love  of  kin,  kindred,  kind   . 

Patriotism  the  parent  of  philan- 
thropy     

English  victories  for  the  right; 
Hampden,  P3Tm,  Sydney      .     . 

Elder  and  younger  members  of  the 
British  family  alike  governed  by 
high  principles 

Change  of  feeling  between  the  New 
and  the  Old  World  welcome 


18 


lit 


20 


CHAPTER  II. 

Otis  Family. 


Harrison   Gray  Otis    and    Josiah 

Quincy  speak  in  Faneuil  Hall    . 

The  lineage  of  Mr.  Otis   .... 

Rev.  Samuel  Moseley       .... 


j  Family  of  Samuel  and  Bethia  (Otis) 

21  |      Moselev  in  the  Revolution     .     .     24 

22  i  Colonel  James  Otis  prominent  and 

23  I      popular 26 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Harrison  Gray  Otis,  when  a  boy, 
saw  the  British  Regulars  on  their 
way  to  Lexington 28 

Was  at  the  Latin  School  under 
Master  Lovell 28 

Recollected  to  old  age  the  excite- 
ment at  the  burning  of  Charles- 
town  by  the  British      ....     29 

Began  professional  life  as  a  minis- 
ter      29 

Left  the  ministry  for  the  law     .     .     30 

Complimented  by  Bishop  Cheverus    30 

Counsel  in  a  theatre  case ;  eulogized 
by  Samuel  Adams 30 

In  1811,  president  of  the  senate  ; 
Joseph  Story,  speaker  of  the 
House;  and  Elbridge  Gerry, 
governor 31 

Unsurpassed  eloquence  of  Otis       .     31 

His  eulogv  on  the  death  of  Ham- 
ilton      .     .     .31 

In  Congress,  easily  first  among 
equals 32 

Member  of  the  Hartford  Conven- 
tion ;  its  pure  purposes      ...     33 

In  1818  in  the  United  States 
Senate 34 

Candidate  for  governor  against 
Eustis;  anecdote 35 

Otis  and  Quincy,  anecdotes  ...    35 

Burning  of  the  Catholic  Convent 
at  Charlestown ;  "The  old  man 
eloquent"  speaks 36 

Argues  a  case  in  court      ....     37 


Invited  to  preside  at  200th  an- 
niversary of  Harvard  College; 
prevented  by  bereavement;   his 

intended  address 38 

Toast  of  Mr,  Otis 38 

William  Foster,  son  of  Harrison 
Gray  Otis ;  gifts  descended  from 

the  father 39 

His    striking    illustration    in     the 

State  Legislature 40 

His    marriage  with    Miss    Emily 

Marshall,  the  Boston  beauty    .     40 
Personal     resemblances     between 

parent  and  child 41 

James  Otis,  the  patriot,  the  orator      42 
His  course  in  college  as  a  student, 
and  in  professional  life      ...    43 

His  filial  respect 43 

His  marriage 44 

Connection  with  General  Lincoln's 

family 44 

His  speech  on  the  Writs  of  Assist- 
ance     45 

Spirited  letter  to  Mauduit  in  Lon- 
don     45 

Threatened  with  arrest  for  his 
paper  on  the  rights  of  the  col- 
onies        45 

Wounded  by  a  British  ruffian  .  .  46 
Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  celebrated 

in  a  song 46 

Otis  retires  from  business  insane  .  46 
Is  killed  by  a  thunderbolt  ...  47 
His  publications 47 


CHAPTER   III. 

Adams  Family. 


Personal  recollections  of  John 
Quincy  Adams 48 

Anecdote  of  John  Adams      ...    49 

"  The  most  dangerous  man  to  Brit- 
ish domination  in  America  "      .     49 

Anecdote  of  his  absorption  in  the 
American  cause 49 

"  Four  pillars  essential  to  a  repub- 
lic "        50 

Anecdotes  of  English  ignorance  of 
America 50 

Oration  of  Rev.  George  Whitney, 
July  4,  the  day  of  the  death  of 
Adams  and  Jefferson    ....     51 

Sentiment  of  Adam's 52 

Oration  of  Webster  commemorat- 
ing Adams  and  Jefferson  ...    52 

Habits  of  John  Quincy  Adams      .     52 

My  interview  with  Mr.  Adams  at 
the  ordination  of  my  classmate 
Whitney 53 


Remark  of  Mr.  Adams  on  a  ser- 
mon of  the  author,  Mr.  Adams 

not  sectarian 53 

The  church-going  habits  of  John 

Adams  and  his  son       ....     54 
Anecdote  showing  religious  dispo- 
sition of  J.  Q.  Adams   ....     54 
My  meeting  Mr.  P.  P.  F.  Degrand 

at  Mr.  Adams's  table    ....     54 
Anecdote,    "  Mrs.   Pierce  goes  to 

Brattle  Street  " 55 

Character    of  Mr.    Adams;    "He 

knew  not  the  fear  of  man  "       .55 
His  interest  in  slave  emancipation      56 

Anecdote  of  Fichte 56 

Moral  resolution  of  Mr.  Adams  .  57 
His  youth  full  of  promise  ...  57 
Letter  to  his  father   in   the   tenth 

year  of  his  age 58 

Private  secretary  of  Francis  Dana, 
at  the  age  of  fifteen      ....     58 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


PAGE 

Remarkable  qualities  of  his  mother  58 
Courtship  of  the  elder  Adams  .  .  59 
Suitors  of  Rev.  Mr.  Smith's  two 

daughters 59 

Coolness  of  the  father  toward  Mr. 

Adams 60 

Two  sermons  on  the  marriage  of 

the  daughters 61 

John   Quincy  Adams  inaugurated 

President  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  62 
Too  impartial  to  be  re-elected  .  .  63 
Faithfulness,  his  motto  ....  63 
My  impression  on  seeing  him  in  his 

seat  in  Congress 63 

What  he  had  seen  in  his  long  life    63 

Honors  at  his  burial 64 

An   illustration  of  the  continuous 
spirit  of  the  best  Revolutionary 

families 64 

Remark   of  J.  Q.  Adams  on  the 

name  given  him  at  his  baptism  65 
Outlines  of  the  family  lineage  .  .  65 
Marriage    of    John  'Adams    with 

Miss  Abigail  Smith      ....     66 
Marriage  of  John  Quincy  Adams 
with    Miss     Louisa     Catherine 

Johnson 66 

Sketch    of    the    life    of    his   son, 

Charles  Francis  Adams  ...  67 
Samuel  Adams,  "  the  personifica- 
tion of  the  American  Revolution  "  68 
The  Revolution  planned  in  his 
meetings,  at  the  Green  Dragon 
Tavern,  with  a  few  kindred 
spirits 68 


PAGK 

Testimony  of  John  Adams  regard- 
ing Samuel  Adams 68 

Language  ascribed  by  Webster  to 
John  Adams,  actually  used  by 
Samuel  Adams     .     .  "  .     .     .    .     69 

Portrait  of  Samuel  Adams,  by 
Copley 69 

Staked  everything  dearest  to  him 
upon  the  issues  of  the  Revolution     69 

Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock 
at  Lexington  for  safety,  18th  of 
April,  1775 70 

"  What  a  glorious  morning  for 
America  " 70 

Account  of  Mr.  Adams's  personal 
expenditures,  now  first  published    70 

Mr.  Adams  "  no  man  of  business;" 
this  shown  in  his  boyhood     .     .     71 

Receipt  for  eight  years'  medical 
attendance 71 

Charges  for  funeral  expenses     .     .     72 

Tax-bill  of  the  year  1803,  with 
comments   .     . " 72 

Bill  rendered  after  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Adams 73 

Anecdote  of  Doctor  Samuel  Dan- 
forth 74 

Legacies  of  rings  to  friends       .     .     74 

Mr.  Adams  strangely  misunder- 
stood in  England 74 

Anecdotes  of  the  customs  of  his 
day 75 

Bill  "  of  Mr.  Adams  for  three 
months'  "  shaving  and  dress- 
ing"      76 


CHAPTER   IV. 


Quincy  Family. 


Personal  acquaintance  with  Hon. 
Josiah  Quincy 

A  long  line  of  prominent  men  .     . 

Edmund  and  Judith  Quincy  come 
from  England  to  escape  per- 
secution ;  settle  at  Mt.  Wollaston 

John  Hancock  marries  Dorothy, 
daughter  of  Edmund  Quincy     . 

Of  his  two  grandsons,  Edmund 
and  Josiah,  the  latter  lived  at 
Mount  Wollaston,  subsequently 
renamed  for  him       .     .     .     .     . 

Tomb  of  Edmund  Quincy,  and 
record  of  his  burial      .  " .     .     . 

Neglect  of  ancient  cemeteries  .     . 

Daniel,  son  of  Edmund,  had  a  son 
John  Quincy,  for  whom  John 
Quincy  Adams  was  named     .     . 

Leonard  Hoar's  will,  giving  a 
"  black  serge  gown  to  my  sister 
Quincey " 


7!) 


Josiah  Quincv,  Jr.,  the  patriot, 
died  April  26,  1775  .....    81 

His  son  Josiah  describes  the  old 
meeting-house  in  Andover    .     .     82 

Kindness  to  him  of  Rev.  Mr. 
French 82 

The  author's  first  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  Hon.  Josiah 
Quincy 82 

Placed  by  him  on  college  com- 
mittees   83 

Customs  of  the  committees  at  that 
time 83 

Anecdote  relative  to  Rev.  Dr. 
Stebbins 84 

Mr.  Quincy's  residence  at  Cam- 
bridge     84 

Dignity  and  attractiveness  of  Mrs. 
Quincy 84 

Mrs.  John  Adams,  a  right  arm  of 
strength  to  her  husband     ...     85 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

85 


Washington's  wife  and  mother 

Quincy's  lapse  of  memory    •     . 

College  presidency       .... 

Anecdote  of  Otis  and  Quincy    . 

Adams  in  Quincy's  oration  .     . 

His  Boston  Centennial  Address 

Oratorical  resemblance  of  his  great- 
grandson    

Lexington  speech,  1835    .     .     . 

Apt  quotation  from  Hancock  and 
Adams 92 


;st 


PAGE 

President  Walker's  tribute  ...  92 
Quincy's  estimate  of  Joseph  Dennie 

and  J.  Q.  Adams 93 

Antislavery  sentiments  ....  94 
Member  of  Congress,   and  mayor 

of  Boston 95 

Publications  and  statue    ....  96 

Josiah  a  common  family  name  .     .  97 

Miss  Eliza  S.  Quincy's  note      .     .  98 

War  of  the  Rebellion 99 

Edmund  Quincy 99 


CHAPTER   V. 


Lincoln  Family. 


Author's  personal  interest  .     .     .  101 

Countess  of  Lincoln 102 

President  Lincoln's  remark     .     .  103 
Origin  of  the  Lincolns  in  the  same 

English  county 103 

Thomas  the  Husbandman  .     .     .  104 

Genealogy 105 

Rev.  Calvin  Lincoln  of  Hingham  106 

Rachel  Lincoln  Boutelle     .     .     .  106 


Family  characteristics    ....  107 
Gen.  Benjamin  Lincoln's  life  and 

services 107 

His  facetious  spirit 108 

Activity  after  the  Revolution  .     .  109 

The  Shays  Rebellion      ....  110 

Washington's  esteem     ....  Ill 

Anecdote;  Knox's  friendship       .  112 

Lincoln  homestead 113 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Parker   Family. 


Family  claims  and  origin  .     .     .  114 
Settlement  at  Cambridge  Farms  .  115 
Captain  John  Parker  in  the  Rev- 
olution        116 

His  bravery  and  discretion      .     .  117 
Presentation  of  memorial  muskets  118 
Lifelong  acquaintance  with  Theo- 
dore Parker 119 

Visit  to  the  Parker  homestead     .  120 

Famous  South  Boston  Sermon     .  121 


Wedding-day  resolutions    .     .     .  122 

Pulpit  exchange  with  the  author  123 

Mental  and  moral  traits      .     .     .  124 
Wish  once  expressed  in  the  old 

cemetery 125 

Monumental  stones 126 

His  prophecy  and  death      .     .     .  127 

Everett's  Eulogv  on  Jonas  Parker  128 

Thaddeus  Parker 128 

Ebenezer  Parker 129 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Munroe  Family. 


Their  bravery  in  the  Revolution  .  130 

Irish  and  Scotch  origin       .     .     .  130 
European     and    American     war 

record       131 

Colonel  William  Munroe    ...  132 


His  life  in  Lexington      .     . 
Ancestry  in  the  Reformation 
Immigration  of  Wm.  Munroe 
Clannish  habits     .... 
Captain  Edmund  Munroe   . 


133 
134 
134 
135 
135 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Brown  Family. 


"  Scotland  "  in  Lexington       .     . 

Francis  Brown's  military  services 

James  Brown's  memories  of  the 

battle 


138     Rolls  of  the  minute-men      .     .     .  140 

138  I  Sergeant  Brown's  adventure   on 

April  19,  1775 141 

139  Character  and  death       ....  142 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Kirkland  Family. 


Kirkland  lineage  .... 
Samuel  Kirkland .... 
Mission  to  the  Indians  .  . 
Revolutionary  services  .  . 
Skeneando,  an  Oneida  chief 
Return  to  Stockbridge  .  . 
Onandago,  an  Indian  chief 
Visit  to   one  of  Kirkland' s 


143 
144 
145 
146 
147 
148 
149 


old 


schools 150 


Birth    and    education    of    John 

Thornton  Kirkland  ....  151 
Patriotism;  choice  of  profession; 

training  under  Dr.  West  .  .  152 
Interest  in  history,  politics,  and 

the  Indians 153 

Presidency  of  Harvard  College  .  154 
Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  Lothrop, 

D.D. ;  lineage  and  ministry     .     155 


CHAPTER  X. 

Ellery  Family. 


Channing  and  his  grandfather  .  157 
Wm,  Ellery's  education  and  law 

practice 158 

Declaration  of  Independence  .     .  159 

Letter  on  Amusements  ....  160 

Theatrical  entertainments  .  .  .  161 
Horseback  journeys;  Hancock's 

style  of  travelling 162 


Meeting  with  the  Adamses      .     . 

Patriotism,  abhorrence  of  war, 
and  other  characteristics      .     . 

Unsectarianism  and  strong  politi- 
cal feelings 

Transmitted  hatred  of  Bonaparte 

Letter  written  in  old  age     .     .     . 

Death  at  ninety-three     .     .     .     . 


163 

164 

165 
166 
167 
168 


CHAPTER  XI. 

William  Ellery  Channing. 


Centennial  commemoration     .     .  169 
Pulpit     services     and    personal 

appearance 169 

Power  of  mind  over  body  .  .  .  170 
Conflicting  elements  ;  health ;  in- 
debtedness to  his  mother  .  .  171 
Liberality  ;  Lovejoy  meeting  .  .  172 
Independence  of  criticism  .  .  .  173 
Father  Taylor's  remark      .     .     .  174 

Channing's  doubts 174 

Dr.  Charles  Follen 175 

Slavery  prophecy 176 

Modesty ;  letter  to  Miss  Aikin     .  177 

Coughing  in  church 177 

Consideration  for  other  preachers ; 

conversation 178 


"Immortality;"    differing   treat- 
ment in  two  sermons       .     .     .  179 
Thanksgiving  at  a  funeral        .     .179 
Impression  on  a  child      ....  180 

Fast  Sermon  in  1812 180 

"  Perils  of  the  Union  "  .     ...  180 

Curse  of  war 181 

Similarity  of  his  opinions  to  his 

grandfather  Ellery's    ....  182 
Influence  of  his  works  and  their 

translations 183 

Genius  and  goodness       ....  183 
Author's  visit  to   Lenox,    where 
Channing    spent    some  of  his 

last  days 184 

A  monument  merited      ....  185 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 


Its  formation 186 

Interest  of  Lafayette      ....     186 
Washington's  letter  to  Count  De 

Rochambeau 187 

Establishment  in  France     .     .     .     188 
Author  meets  French  and  German 

guests,  1881 188 

Congress  in  Carpenter's  Hall  .  .  189 
Tenacity  of  Washington's  friend- 
ship, and  Tory  injustice  to  him 
Benjamin  Church's  treason  .  . 
Relics  of  him  in  Cambridge  .  . 
Pictures    of      Washington     and 

Burgoyne 

Their  proclamations  contrasted  . 
Unfaithfulness  of  other  generals; 

Washington  calumniated     .     . 
English      ignorance     about     the 

Revolution 194 

Loyalists ;     Colonel    Vassal    and 

Cambridge  mobs 

Tribute  to  Lady  Washington  .  . 
Insolence  to  "  Mr.  Washington" 
Resolution  of  Virginian  ladies  . 
British  writer  in  Charleston  .  . 
Margaret  Corbine's  recompense  . 
Surgeon   Thacher  visits    General 

Washington        

British   hatred,    and   our   dreary 

prospects    ....         ... 

Aubury  on  privations  of  prisoners 
Major  Andre's  doom  ;  British  evac- 
uation ;  Washington's  Farewell ; 

peace    

Washington's    progress    through 

New  England  in  1789      .     .     . 

Whittier's  poem 

Revolutionar}'  and  civil  career  of 

Henry  Knox 202 

Washington's  confidence  in  him       203 
Naval    record    of    Henrv    Knox 

Thacher 203 

Baron  Von  Steuben 204 

Letter  of  Washington     ....     205 
Career  and  habits  of  John  Brooks    206 

His  war  record 207 

Washington's    touching    regard; 

civil  honors 208 

Personal  description 209 

Author's  acquaintance  with   Dr. 

Joseph  Fiske 209 

Destitution  of  soldiers     ....    210 
Acquaintance  with  Captain  Benj. 

Gould;  his  military  prowess     . 
Lafayette  at  Newbury  port ;  Daniel 

Foster       .     .     .     

Benjamin  Apthorp  Gould  (father 

and  son)  and  Hannah  Gould     . 


190 
190 
191 

191 

192 

193 


194 
194 
195 
196 
196 
197 

197 

198 
198 


199 


200 
201 


211 


211 


212 


Astronomical  services  of  Professor 

Gould 

Moseley  family  in  the  Revolution 
Ebenezer     Moseley,     missionary 

and  soldier 

Hon.  Ebenezer  Moseley;   offices 

and  life 

Edward  Strong  Moseley;  honors 

and  financial  positions  .  .  . 
Family  suffering  in  the  Revolution 
Newburyport  as  an  illustration    . 

Washington's  visit 

A  remembered  kiss 

Military     and    civil    record    of 

Timothy  Pickering  .... 
John  Pickering,  the  linguist   .     . 

John  Pickering,  Jr 

Louis  Baurv  in  the  Revolution  . 
Frederick  Baury  in  War  of  1812 
Rev.  Alfred   Baury,   appearance 

and  preaching 

John  Hastings  in  the  Revolution 
Personal  intimacy  with  Edmund 

T.  Hastings 

Edmund  T.  Hastings,  Jr.  .  .  . 
Africa  Hamlin's  talents  and  war 

service ;  a  peculiar  family    .     . 

Asia  Hamlin 

Job  Sumner  in  the  Revolution  . 
Charles  P.  Sumner;  offices  and 

culture 

Charles   Sumner;    education  and 

eloquence 

Senatorship  and  assault  .  .  . 
Personal  visit;  national  honors  . 
Gov.   William   Eustis ;    medical, 

military,  and  civil  services  .     . 

Literary  honors 

Poverty 

Isaac  Parker;  personal  recollec- 
tions       

John  Popkin  in  the  Revolution  . 
Prof.  John  S.  Popkin    .... 

Anecdotes 

Constant  Freeman ;  naval  services 
Personal  acquaintance  with  Chas. 

Henry  Davis 

Naval  career  in  Civil  War  .  . 
Acquaintance  with  Dr.  John  C. 

Warren 

Public  services  and  humor       .     . 

Publications 

Daniel  Webster;  recollections  of 

his  oratory 

Famous  will  case 

Dinner  at  Porter's 

Remembrance  of  Webster  and 

Wirt  in  court 


213 
213 

213 

214 

214 
214 
215 
215 
216 


216 
217 
218 
219 
219 

219 
220 


221 
221 


223 

223 
224 
225 

225 
226 
227 

227 

228 
229 
230 
231 


231 
232 

233 
234 
235 

235 

236 
237 

238 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


Webster's  magnetic  influence 
Nicholas  Fish  in  the  Revolution 
Hamilton  Fish;  national  oflices    . 
Public  honors,  and   his  personal 
impression 


PAGE 

239 
239 
239 

240 


Gen.  David  Cobb 

Revolutionary  career  and  subse- 
quent valuable  services;  his 
portrait 

Civic  career  of  Samuel  C.  Cobb 


PAGK 

240 


241 
242 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


Revolutionary  Men  in  the  War  of  1812. 


War   record  of  Henry   Dearborn  243  I 

Subsequent  offices 244 

Characteristics 245  I 

Services  in  War  of  1812      ...  246  j 

General  Miller  at  Fort  Erie      .     .  247  j 

An  uncle's  privateering  trophies  247 
Lexington    boys;     personal    and 

family  memories  of  1812      .     .  247  j 

National  songs 248 

Perry's  great,  victory      ....  249 

What  grandfather  called  the  war  250 

The  great  gale  of  1815   .     .     .     .  250  I 


The  cold  summer  of  1816    .     .     .  251 

Alarming  portents 252 

Romantic      career      of      Abram 

Johnson 253 

"  End  of  the  world;  "  veterans  of 

1812 254 

Recollections    of    Henry    A.    S. 

Dearborn ;  training  and  services  255 

Authorship,  industry,  and  honors  256 

William  Hull  in  the  Revolution  .  256 

National  honors 257 

Court-martial  in  War  of  1812       .  258 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Oliver   Hazard   Perry. 


Christopher  Raymond  Perry  .     .  260 

Oliver  Hazard  Perry      ....  260 

Naval  exploits 261 

Battle  on  Lake  Erie 262 

Perry's  note  of  victory       .     .     .  263 

Amusing  song        .     .     .     .     .     .  264 

Snuff-box 265 


The  Commodore's  family    .     .     .  266 
Recollection  of  a  celebration  on 

the  scene  of  the  battle      ...  266 

Vase  and  statue 266 

Testimonials,  and  early  death      .  267 
Matthew  Calbraith   Perry;   Jap- 
anese expedition 268 


CHAPTER   XV. 


Personal  Appearance  of  Revolutionary  Officers. 


Identity  of  looks  and  character    .  269 

Washington's  face  and  figure       .  270 

Trumbull's  portrait 271 

Description    of     the    opening  of 

Congress 271 

A  boy's  effort  to  see  Washington  272 

The  President's  dress      ....  273 

His  speech 274 

Portraits  of  Lafayette  and  Knox  275 

Lafayette  revisits" America  in  1824  276 

Baron  Von  Steuben's  portrait       .  276 

Brooks,  Marion,  Eustis       .     .     .  277 


Engraving  of  John  Lillie     .     .     .  278 

Marked  face  of  Henry  Lee      .     .  279 

Physiognomy  in  general     .     .     .  280 
Personal  impressions  of  our  great 

civilians 281 

Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton       .     .     .  281 
Recollections  of  Edward  Everett's 

thoroughness 281 

Autographs  of  the  Cincinnati,  in- 
cluding those  of  leading  Patriots  282 
De  Grasse,  Putnam,  and  others     .  283 
Andros,  Stark,  and  others       .     .  284 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Andrew  Jackson. 


Patriotic  ancestors  and  early 
militaiy  spirit 285 

New  Orleans  victory;  Jefferson's 
principles;  rallying-cry  .     .     .     28G 

Interview  with  Old  Hickory  .     .     287 


PAGB 

Harvard  degree 288 

National  indebtedness  to  Jackson  289 

His  ambition 290 

Boston  excitement  over  the  bank- 
ing question 291 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Antislavery  Movement. 


The  Union  involved  in  slavery    .  292 

Curious  receipt  for  a  boy    ...  292 

Significant  advertisement    .     .     .  293 

Henry  Ware's  interest   ....  293 

Cambridge  Antislavery  Society  .  294 

Its  record 295 


List  of  members 296 

Ideas    of    Follen    and   Garrison; 

sympathy  with  the  former 
Slavery  in  District  of  Columbia 
Color  prejudice;  boyish  interest 

in  negro  neighbors 


297 
298 


.    299 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Boutelle  Family. 


Timothy  Boutelle,   the    author's 

grandfather,  in  the  war  .     .     .  300 

Services  in  the  Shays  Rebellion   .  301 

Visit  to  Leominister  homestead    .  302 

Sabbath  customs,  old  and  new     .  303 

"The  Cage" 304 

Children  of  Timothy  and  Rachel  305 


Timothy  Boutelle' s  college  class      305 

Public  services ;  military  relics 
a  spontoon 

"  Melting  of  the  caul "   .     .     . 

War  record  of  Dr.  Caleb  Bou- 
telle; Charles  Otis,  and  James 
Thacher,  Boutelle 307 


306 
306 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Lafayette. 


308 


Family  and  marriage     .     .     .     . 
Devotion  to  America ;  testimonies 

to  his  excellence 309 

Recollections  of  him  in  1824  .  .  310 
Dr.  Bowditch's  enthusiasm  .  .  311 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  anniversary  .     .     311 

Everett's  oration 312 

A  brilliant  dinner 313 

Personal  introduction  at  the  Lex- 
ington celebration 314 

Fourteen  survivors  of  the  battle 

of  Lexington 315 

Lafayette's  former  imprisonment    315 
Author's  last  sight  of  the  hero     . 
The  Rev.  Joseph  Thaxters  half- 
century    •     • 

Bunker  Hill  corner-stone;  Web- 
ster in  his  prime;  Masonic 
services     


316 
316 


317 


Completion  of  the  monument  .     .    318 
Rejoicings     during     Lafayette's 
journeys ;  Newburyport ;  Wash- 
ington's chamber 318 

Address    of  the  Hon.   Ebenezer 

Moseley 319 

A  kiss  at  the  levee 320 

( )ld  comrades 320 

Tomb  of  Washington     ....     321 
Lafayette's     influence     in     this 

country 322 

Visited  by  Charles  Pinckney; 
Rochefoucauld's  remark ;  re- 
semblance of  Washington  and 

Lafayette 323 

The  latter's  courage  in  the  French 

Revolution 324 

Social  hours  of  the  two  heroes      .     325 
Marquis  de  Chastellux  ....     326 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


Visit  to  American  camp  .  . 
Lafayette  despised  for  his  youth 
Charge  of  weakness  .... 
Surrender  of  Cornwallis  .  . 
Meeting  with  a  veteran  .  .  . 
Reign  of  Terror 331 


PAGE 

327 

328 
329 
330 
331 


Romance  of  Lafayette's  American 

career ;  letter  to  his  wife      .     .  332 

Return  to  France ;  death    .     .     .  333 

Everett's  eulogy 334 

Thanksgiving  Day  at  the  tomb  of 

Lafayette 335 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Emerson  the  Patriot. 


Ralph  Waldo  Emerson's  ancestry 

and  patriotism 337 

Chaplain  William  Emerson     .     .  338 
Frederika  Bremer  and  Emerson's 

mother 338 

Battle  Hymn 339 

Emerson's  father 340 

Personal  recollections   of  Emer- 
son's younger  days     ....  341 


Marriage  service  for  the  author    .  342 

Father  Taylor's  question     .     .     .  343 

Remembrance  of  lectures    .     .     .  344 
Conversation  with  the  Rev.  Dr. 

Francis 345 

John  Brown  indignation  meeting  346 

Edward  Bliss  Emerson  ....  347 

Longfellow's  funeral 347 

Emerson's  burial 348 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

The  Soldier  of  the  Revolution. 


Rank  and  file 

Contrast  of  the  two  armies 

Sufferings  at  Valley  Forge 

Neglect  by  public  officers    . 

Treason  at  home   .... 

General  faithfulness        .     . 

Ralph  Farnham  the  centenarian, 
a  representative  Revolutionary 
soldier,  seen  by  the  author  at  the 
age  of  ninety -five 


349 
350 
350 
351 
351 
352 


353 


A  witness  of  the  battle  of  Bunker 

Hill 354 

Moses  Hale  and  Captain  Wilder 

of  Winchendon 355 

Town-offices 356 

Church  and  State 357 

Artemas    Hale,     character     and 

habits 358 

Masonic    address    on    his    95th 

birthdav 359 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


The    Battle    of  Lexington:     Personal    Recollections    of    Men 
engaged  in  it. 


The    battle    narrative    heard    in 

childhood 360 

Importance  of  the  first  step  .  .  361 
The  author's  grandfather  in  John 

Parker's  company  ....  361 
A  Menotomy  veteran  of  eighty 

nearly  killed 362 

Blood-stained    room,    and    other 
traces  of  war  in  the  author's 

ancestral  home 363 

Prudence  of  Captain  Parker  .  .  364 
Reports  of  eye-witnesses  .  .  .  364 
Killed   and  wounded;  Jonathan 

Harrington  and  Jonas  Parker  365 
The  schoolhouse  on  the  battlefield  360 
Accounts  of  lookers-on  ....  366 
Buckman  house 367 


British  evidence 367 

Hancock    and    Adams    at    Mr. 

Clark's 367 

Paul  Revere 368 

Spot  of  Samuel  Adams's  immortal 

utterance        369 

Description      by     the     author's 

grandfather 369 

Everett's  oration 369 

Powder-horn 370 

Percy's  reinforcements   ....  370 

Pulpit  and  cannon-ball  ....  370 
Heroism  of  Jedediah  Munroe  and 

Francis  Brown    ......  371 

Personal  memories  of  survivors  .  371 

Dr.  Joseph  Fiske       371 

Certificate  from  Washington   .     .  372 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Author's  youthful  sympathy  with 
Colonel  Munroe's  narrative       .     372 

Town  honors -'{73 

Author's  remembrance  of  Daniel 
Harrington's  smithy  and  it- 
relics      373 

Bell-tongue       373 

Mrs.   Harrington,  a   daughter  of 

Col.  Robert  Munroe     .     .     .         374 
Lieut.  William  Tidd's  account  of 

the  Regulars 375 

His  appearance  in  old  age  .  .  .  375 
Family  and  war  services  of  Isaac 

Hastings 375 

Family,  and  incidents  of  his  life  376 
Acquaintance  with  the  author  .  377 
Depositions  concerning  the  battle 

of  Lexington 378 

Conflicting  British  accounts    .     .     379 
Connection  of  the  Loring  family 
with  the  battle;    church  plate 
buried;  statement  of  losses       .     380 
Anecdote  of  Polly  Loring   .     .     .     381 
Details  of  British  ravages   .     .     .     382 
Author's  recollection  of  Benjamin 
Wellington 382 


Revolutionary   record    and   town 
services  of  Wellington  and  the 

Masons 383 

Joseph  Estabrook  as  a  soldier  and 

preacher 384 

Women  of  the  Revolution  .  .  385 
Amos  Locke's  house  and  services  386 
Personal     recollections    of    Joel 

Viles 386 

Family  relations  with  John  Park- 
hurst  and  Joshua  Reed    .     .     .     :;87 
Ebenezer  Simonds  and  family     .    ;i88 

The  last  survivor .^88 

Many  Harringtons  and  Munroes 

in  two  wars 389 

Jonathan  Harrington's  mother  .  390 
A  babe's  inheritance  ....  390 
Average   age   of    the    survivors; 

remarkable  coincidence  .  .  .  391 
Anniversary  Sermon  ....  391 
Characters "  and    estates    of    the 

Patriots 392 

American    peasantry    and    Lord 

Percy 392 

Patriotic  lessons 393 

Peace  restored        394 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Men  of  the  Southern  and  Middle  States  in  the  Revolution. 


The  Revolution  not  the  work  of 

New  England  alone    ....     395 
The  Virginian  leader      ....     396 
Southern  earnestness  and  adven- 
tures      397 

Florida,  theCarolinas,  and  Middle 

States 398 

Yorktown 399 

Revolutionary  halls  in  Boston  and 

Philadelphia 399 

Patrick  Henry,  Thomas  Jefferson  400 
Advanced  patriotism  of  the  Lees 

of  Virginia 

Thomas  Nelson  and  John  Laurens 
Rutledge  of  South  Carolina,  and 

General  Marion 

General  Sumter 403 

His  civil  and  military  services  .  404 
Francis  Kinlock  Huger  ....  405 
New  Jersey  as  a  battle-ground    .     405 


401 
401 


402 


The  Keystone  State 406 

Anthony  Wavne 407 

Thomas"  Mifflin 408 

General   Muhlenberg,    the   gown 

and  the  sword 409 

Tench   Tilghman    and  Mordecai 

Gist  of  Maryland 410 

General  Screvener 410 

Lyman  Hall's  mission  to  Massa- 
chusetts       411 

Button  Guinnett  of  Georgia     .     .  411 

New  York  a  pivotal  colony     .     .  411 
The  Livingstons  and  Gem  James 

Clinton 412 

Military,    literary,    and  financial 

career  of  Alexander  Hamilton  413 

Ticonderoga 414 

Washington's  Farewell  ....  414 

British  evacuation 415 

Centennial  of  1883 415 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

A.  B.  Muzzey Frontispiece 

Washington 15 

Garfield 20 

Master  Lovell,  and  Old  Latin  School 35 

Adams    Opposing    the     Stamp    Act    from    the    Old 

State  House 48 

Old  South  Church 76 

John  Hancock 78 

Quadrangle,  Harvard  College 83 

Plan  of  the  Town  of  Boston,  1775 90 

Daniel  Webster 100 

First  Meeting-House 129 

Hancock  House       137 

The  Old  and  the  New 153 

Dorothy  Hancock's  Reception 156 

Bunker-Hill  Monument 168 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill 208 

Liberty  Tree 242 

The  Washington  Elm 259 

The  Holmes  House 268 

Xix's  Mate 284 


XV111  LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAOB 

The  Stocks 299 

Lafayette '  308 

Mount  Vernon 336 

James  Russell  Lowell 348 

Amos  Muzzey,  in  Parker's  Company,  April  19,  1775  .     .     .  360 

Battle  of  Lexington 364 

Minute  Man,  1775 377 

Diagram  of  Lexington  Roads 387 

Lexington  Monument 388 

The  English  Right  of  Search 394 

Washington  Crossing  the  Delaware      .     .  •  .     .     .     .  405 

Diagram  of  Concord  Village 416 


REMINISCENCES  AND   MEMORIALS. 


CHAPTER  1. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  period  covered  by  the  following  pages  is 
one  whose  importance,  whether  regarded  in  its  in- 
ception, its  progress,  or  its  consequences,  is  hardly 
transcended  by  any  in  human  history.  It  brings 
before  us  a  people,  —  although  now,  after  a  cen- 
tury, fifty  millions  in  number,  only  three  millions 
at  the  outset, — who,  by  their  spirit,  their  pur- 
poses, and  their  conduct,  at  that  crisis,  challenge 
competition  with  any  other  on  record.  The  char- 
acter and  results  of  their  work  interest  to-day  the 
whole  civilized  world.  But  ably  as  they  have 
been  portrayed  by  men  of  learning,  genius,  and 
indefatigable  labor,  large  portions  of  the  field  they 
have  surveyed  are  still  uncultivated,  and  contain 
treasures  for  present  and  future  research.  History 
is  looking  anxiously  for  new  minds  to  enter  upon 
and  do  justice  to  this  unlimited  subject. 

But,  first  of  all,  the  historian  needs  fresh  ma- 
terials for  his  work.  The  centennial  era,  through 
which  we   are   now  passing,  is  bringing  to  light 

1 


2  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

ever  accumulating  fragments  and  details,  of  ines- 
timable value  to  the  accurate  and  thorough  writer 
in  this  department.  It  is  a  time  when  wise  men 
are  reaching  out  in  every  direction  for  help  in 
the  production  of  broad,  philosophical,  and  trust- 
worthy „  history. 

:  But  ^the- -question  arises :  what  is  the  basis  of 
history, -— true,  Reliable,  enduring  history?  Only 
one  thing,  —  facts.  Over  and  over  we  have  had 
theories,  hypotheses,  speculations,  conclusions, 
based  on  nothing  more  solid  than  unreliable  im- 
aginings. Not  to  discredit  the  imagination,  in  its 
legitimate  and  healthy  exercise,  or  deny,  or  even 
doubt,  that  it  gives  essential  aid  to  the  historian, 
we  are  still  to  guard  resolutely  against  the  illusions 
into  which  it  leads  him  who  gives  it  a  loose  rein 
in  the  field  of  history.  We  are  to  know,  as  far  as 
possible,  while  we  read  a  book  in  this  department, 
whether  the  author  has  gathered  copious  mate- 
rials from  every  authentic  source,  out  of  which  to 
reach  his  conclusions,  or  has  advanced  opinions 
resting  on  but  slight  foundations.  History  deals 
in  general  views  and  conclusions.  If  these  have 
not  been  attained  through  a  broad,  liberal,  and 
impartial  array  of  facts,  the  more  confident  the 
tone  of  the  writer,  the  less  we  trust  him. 

What  are  the  materials  out  of  which  history,  to 
be  trustworthy,  must  build  its  fabric  ?  They  con- 
sist largely  of  biography.  If  the  writer  has  stored 
his  mind  with  a  full  knowledge  of  the  men  whose 
deeds  he  has   undertaken   to  record,  whether  in 


INTRODUCTION.  6 

their  individual  capacity  or  as  associated  with  oth- 
ers, and  on  every  point,  whether  large  or  small, 
then  we  accept  his  work.  The  river  cannot  be 
pure,  sweet,  and  healthful  if  its  tributaries  are  im- 
pure, tainted,  and  unheal thful. 

This  being  so,  no  work  is  more  important  in  this 
connection  than  good  biographies.  They  are  the 
life  blood  of  a  nation's  history.  He  who  can  fur- 
nish us  a  volume  giving  an  accurate  description 
of  the  men  who  shaped  the  destinies  of  a  people, 
especially  at  a  decisive  point  in  their  fortunes, 
renders  us  an  invaluable  service. 

But  the  scope  of  these  materials  must  be  very 
large.  We  all  acknoAvledge  our  obligations  for 
good  biographies  of  such  men  as  Julius  Caesar, 
Peter  the  Great,  Charlemagne,  Alfred,  Napoleon. 
These,  and  the  like  names,  we  are  apt  to  think, 
embrace  the  whole  history  of  the  countries  and 
the  times  in  which  they  lived  and  ruled.  We 
look  upon  them  as  embodying,  each  in  his  own 
age,  the  whole  fortunes  of  Rome,  Russia,  Germany, 
England,  France  ;  and  in  many  such  instances,  we 
are  right.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that,  at  one 
period,  Csesar  was  Rome,  Peter  the  Great  was 
Russia,  Napoleon  was  France.  But  we  need  cau- 
tion here  ;  for  although,  in  barbarous  periods,  the 
despot  bore  unlimited  sway  over  his  people,  with 
the  inception  and  progress  of  civilization  this  con- 
dition often  changes.  The  time  comes  at  last 
when,  not  in  despotisms  or  monarchies  alone,  but 
in  governments  of   the    people,   single  men,  and 


4  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

those  not  in  high  office,  possess  a  personal  weight 
and  carry  an  influence,  scarcely  inferior  in  its  power 
and  sway  to  that  of  the  ruler  of  the  most  be- 
nighted people. 

In  all  enlightened  ages  we  find  the  general 
truth  illustrated  that  it  is  the  individual,  not  the 
official  alone,  who  carries  influence  with  him,  and 
does  what  most  affects  the  destiny  of  his  country. 
There  is  a  training  in  circumstances  that  we  are 
apt -to  underestimate.  Some  of  the  men  who  had 
been  engaged  in  the  old  French  War,  —not  re- 
markable as  seen  at  their  homes  in  boyhood  or 
youth,  —  when  they  had  passed  through  that 
war,  by  their  experience  in  it,  and  from  previous 
British  discipline,  fought  bravely  the  battles  of 
the  Revolution ;  and  by  their  efficiency,  helped 
largely  to  carry  through  successfully  the  hazard- 
ous undertaking  of  emancipation  from  the  British 
yoke. 

The  War  for  Independence,  which  began  at  Lex- 
ington the  morning  of  April  19,  1775,  called  out 
a  little  band  of  yeomen,  obscure  men  the  day  pre- 
vious, yet  thereafter,  as  it  proved,  standing  in  that 
"imminent  deadly  breach,"  they  were  the  germ 
of  a  nation's  birth.  Their  number  was  small,  but 
their  spirit  was  large ;  their  influence  became  the 
very  bone  and  sinew  of  the  great  men  who,  on 
other  fields,  wrought  out  the  liberty  of  these 
United  States. 

It  was  often  seen  that  men  in  the  ranks  did 
brave   things   which   no   official   title    could  have 


INTRODUCTION.  O 

made  more  glorious.  Many  a  man  in  this  way, 
became,  at  some  critical  moment,  a  hero.  We  do 
not  care  to  know  where  he  had  been,  or  how  he 
had  hitherto  been  esteemed  ;  it  is  enough  that,  out 
of  unpropitious  days,  and  amid  stern  fortunes, 
straits,  poverty,  or  neglect,  he  carved  a  destiny 
worthy  a  high  place  in  his  country's  record.  Such 
men  are  nature's  nobility,  and  we  want  to  hear 
and  know  all  we  can  of  them.  If  they  were  born 
in  obscurity,  we  would  do  something  to  bring 
them  to  the  light.  Every  such  life  is  interesting, — 
not  the  mighty  and  renowned  alone,  but  the  hum- 
blest who  did  what  he  could  for  his  native  land  in 
the  hour  of  her  need.  We  say  to  the  biographer, 
write  out  all  you  can  tell  us,  of  your  own  obser- 
vation or  what  you  have  heard  from  the  lips  of 
others,  about  these  persons.  Give  us  some  account 
of  their  origin  and  ancestry.  We  think  the  stock 
from  which  they  came  must  have  had  strength 
and  value  in  it. 

This  request  is  natural.  I  think  the  desire  is  hu- 
man, to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  annals  of 
those  who  deserve  well  of  their  country.  If  we 
know  nothing,  at  present,  of  their  families,  we  wish 
to  know  a  little,  at  least ;  and  if  we  know  something, 
we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  or  read  more.  And,  even 
though  we  have  read  or  been  told  the  story  of  their 
lineage,  we  should  enjoy  going  over  it  again.  All 
who  bear  their  name  ought  to  become  to  us  "  famil- 
iar as  household  words." 

There  is  good  reason  for  this  interest  in  the  fam- 


0  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ilies  of  our  Kevolutionary  men.  An  influence  de- 
scends, here  as  everywhere,  more  or  less  potent 
for  generations.  The  son,  it  appears,  had  his  pro- 
totype in  his  father  or  mother,  or  in  a  grandfather, 
or  quite  as  often  in  a  grandmother,  so  full  of 
patriotism,  so  disinterested,  so  large-minded  and 
large-hearted ;  there  is  where  the  person  before 
us  derived  the  germs  of  those  noble  qualities 
which  the  war  brought  out.  There  are  certain 
names  in  our  history  which,  when  we  hear  of 
one  bearing  them,  lead  us  to  cast  a  loving  and 
reverential,  retrospective  glance  into  the  fair  fame 
won  by  their  line.  They  are  stars  of  a  bright 
constellation  in  the  nation's  history. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that,  in  the  colonial  period, 
often  the  family  education  was  about  all  the  chil- 
dren received  on  political  subjects.  Historians 
of  the  Revolution  are  surprised  at  the  degree  to 
which  the  broadest  principles  of  government 
were  understood  by  the  mass  of  the  people  at 
that  time.  But  the  secret  of  it  was  in  the  com- 
mon conversations  of  the  fireside.  The  father 
had  not  read  books,  but  he  had  thought  on  the 
great  questions  of  the  day,  and  the  boy  at  the 
table,  and  sitting  by  the  bright  New  England  fire 
on  long  evenings,  all  eye  and  ear,  had  caught  the 
inspiration,  and  was  trained  to  feel,  and  resolve, 
when  he  became  a  man,  to  act  for  his  country. 

It  is  true  there  are  sometimes  degenerate  sons 
in  the  best  families,  as  there  are  illustrious  men 
of    whose    eminence  we    find   no   traces  in   their 


INTRODUCTION.  1 

ancestry ;  but  this  is  not  the  normal  course  in 
domestic  annals.  Leaving  out  the  often  decisive 
sway  of  circumstances,  —  "environment,"  to  use 
a  word  now  popular,  —  we  are  more  and  more 
finding  evidence  of  the  power  of  heredity.  Its 
subtle  influence  is  sometimes  detected  where  we 
least  anticipate  it.  A  patient  and  persistent  mass- 
ing of  details,  pressing  into  the  secret  records  of 
the  family,  going  not  only  through  written  docu- 
ments, but  the  traditions  of  the  past,  interrogating, 
beyond  kindred,  the  long  line  of  neighbors  and 
even  transient  acquaintances,  brings  to  light  at 
last  traces  of  this  great  man  in  whose  face,  intent 
on  reaching  his  every  inmost  trait,  we  are  now 
gazing. 

Amid  the  restless  and  changeful  character  of 
the  modern  American  fireside,  we  are  fast  losing 
many  of  those  healthful  influences  which  gathered 
around  and  went  out  from  the  dwellings  of  our  an- 
cestors. Our  habitations  are  no  longer,  as  a  whole, 
"  the  homelike  nests  "  of  those  early  days,  "  which 
had  been  warmed  by  the  presence  of  father,  grand- 
father, and  great-grandfather,  —  every  scratch 
on  whose  timbers  was  known  and  revered,  —  the 
very  sanctuaries  of  family  life."  The  good  old 
words,  abiding-place,  homestead,  and  the  like,  are 
fast  becoming  obsolete.  A  very  old  house  is  now 
a  wonder,  its  rarity  attracting  special  attention. 
We  may  almost  count  on  our  fingers  the  houses 
in  New  England  which  have  the  ancestral  lustre 
of   those    occupied    in    successive   generations    by 


8  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

such  families  as  those  of  Otis,  Adams,  and  Quincy. 
There  was  an  education  in  such  houses,  and  a 
place  often  became  an  eloquent  memorial.  The 
family  traits  thus  descended,  more  or  less  dis- 
tinctly, for  generations. 

We  look  for  a  physical  resemblance  between 
child  and  parent.  So  confident  are  we  of  finding 
this,  that  if  a  son  does  not  bear  the  image  of  his 
father,  we  are  sure  he  must  look  like  his  mother. 
It  is  not  mere  imagination  which  makes  so  many 
say,  "  That  boy  is  the  very  image  of  his  father," 
while  another  says,  "  No,  he  looks  most  like  his 
mother."  The  truth  is,  most  children  resemble 
both  parents  more  or  less  clearly.  The  physiog- 
nomist reads  human  faces  between  their  lines,  and 
can  detect  resemblances  where  the  unpractised 
eye  finds  none. 

The  causes  of  these  resemblances  are  not  physi- 
cal alone,  or  pre-natal  alone.  Daniel  Webster  says 
with  truth  :  "  There  is  a  singular  disregard  of  an- 
cestry. There  is  a  moral  and  philosophical  respect 
for  our  ancestors  which  elevates  the  character  and 
improves  the  heart.  I  hardly  know  what  should 
bear  with  stronger  obligation  on  a  liberal  and  en- 
lightened mind,  than  a  consciousness  of  an  alliance 
with  excellence  which  is  departed  ;  and  a  con- 
sciousness, too,  that,  in  its  acts  and  conduct,  and 
even  in  the  sentiments  and  thoughts,  it  may  be 
actively  operating  on  the  happiness  of  those  that 
come  after  it."  If  the  heritage  of  a  grand  na- 
tional  ancestry  is,   as  we    know,   a    motive   with 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

many  to  worthy  deeds,  what  should  be  that  of 
our  domestic  lineage  in  past  generations  ?  It 
argues  a  strange  insensibility  in  any  one  to  care 
nothing,  in  this  regard,  for  his  predecessors.  He 
who  deliberately  casts  a  blot  on  his  family  es- 
cutcheon sinks  perceptibly  in  our  estimation. 
Who,  on  the  other  hand,  can  doubt  that  the  young- 
er Pitt  was  constantly  sustained  in  his  masterly 
course  by  the  example  and  inspiration  of  his  illus- 
trious father  ?  It  adds  to  our  veneration  for  that 
exalted  statesman  in  our  own  land,  John  Quincy 
Adams,  to  see  him  put  on  record  in  his  Diary, 
that  "  from  the  moment  he  knew  that  he  bore 
the  name  of  Quincy,  given  him  by  his  mother, 
he  felt,  on  through  his  life,  a  call  to  act  up  to 
the  demands  of  that  honored  name." 

No  people  ever  owed  more  than  we  do  to  the 
influence  of  good  families.  Begin  with  those  who 
came  to  Plymouth  in  the  "  Mayflower,"  —  Brew- 
ster, Standish,  Carver ;  to  name  the  whole  noble 
catalogue  is  needless.  Continue  on,  and  down  in 
the  annals  of  our  colonies  we  find  the  Otises, 
Adamses,  Munroes,  and  how  many  others.  Fol- 
low through  the  Revolution.  Time  fails  us  to 
enumerate  our  obligations  to  the  great  company, 
both  in  civil  and  military  lines,  of  families  either 
directly  or  indirectly  related  to  each  other.  Take 
the  Winthrops  through  eight  generations,  down  to 
the  distinguished  scholar,  historian,  and  statesman 
we  rejoice  to  have  today  as  our  contemporary, 
and  we  see  and  feel  that  we  can  scarcely  portray 


10  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  value  of  such  lineage,  and  the  full  influence, 
domestic  and  national,  of  our  American  ancestry. 

So  it  has  been  in  all  nations  who  have  occupied 
the  foreground  of  history.  What  has  not  Germany 
received  through  her  ever  appreciated  illustrious 
families  ?  In  that  land  the  unit  of  society  has 
been, —  with  few  interruptions,  throughout  its  vari- 
ous states  and  departments,  —  the  family,  sacredly 
guarded  and  piously  transmitted.  France,  back 
to  her  barbarous  period,  has  attached  high  value 
to  the  domestic  bonds  of  her  rulers.  The  long  line 
of  the  Bourbon  family,  not  in  the  fourteenth  repre- 
sentative alone,  but  in  others  of  deserved  fame, 
has  verified  the  worth  of  this  special  relation. 
Our  mother  country  never  loses  sight  of  her 
obligations  to  the  varied  and  shining  list  of  Old 
England's  Tudors,  Yorks,  Plantagenets,  Stuarts. 

That  her  American  colonies  should  attach  a 
commanding  importance  to  the  distinguished 
families  in  their  history  is  legitimate  and  just. 
The  memory  of  great  men  is  the  richest  inherit- 
ance of  their  country.  We  should  be  false  to  our 
traditions,  to  the  past,  to  the  undisclosed  future,  if 
we  allowed  the  domestic  relations  of  our  great 
and  good  men  to  sink  into  neglect.  Indifference 
to  our  American  ancestors,  to  the  bonds  that 
united  those  sages  and  heroes  in  their  special 
home  relations  ;  to  care  little  who  were  the  pro- 
genitors of  our  Revolutionary  men,  or  who  are 
now  standing  in  their  line ;  never  to  mark  and 
commend    those  who  are   worthy  sons   of  those 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

worthy  sires,  —  this  were  to  show  ourselves  recre- 
ant to  the  rightful  claims  of  those  progenitors 
upon  us,  and  false  to  our  trust  as  inheritors  of  the 
independence  and  liberty  which  we  owe  so  largely 
to  their  patience  in  poverty,  their  toil  to  the  bit- 
ter end,  and  their  uncounted  sufferings  and  en- 
durance—  how  often,  to  mortal  agony  ! 

But  there  are  wider  relations  of  which  this 
volume  would  speak.  Lafayette,  as  broad-minded 
as  he  was  warm-hearted,  saw  clearly  the  interde- 
pendence of  all  our  social  relations.  He  gave, 
both  in  theory  and  practice,  its  just  weight  to 
every  claim  the  wrorld  has  upon  us.  He  had  no 
narrow  conceptions  of  his  own  personal  rights,  but 
he  still  merged  his  individual  fortunes,  at  every 
point,  in  his  love  and  care  for  others.  It  was  truly 
said  by  one  intimate  with  him  under  his  own  roof, 
as  a  friend  and  helper,  "  He  preferred  his  family 
to  himself,  his  country  to  his  family,  and  mankind 
at  large  to  his  country."  No  man  had  more  than 
he,  in  his  early  life,  to  attach  him  to  home,  —  a  bos- 
om companion  remarkable  for  her  virtues,  graces, 
and  culture,  all  the  comforts  that  wealth  could 
procure,  and  the  promise  of  promotion  and  honors 
to  satisfy  his  ambition ;  but  he  left  all  these  at  less 
than  the  age  of  twenty,  and,  from  his  love  of  liberty, 
threw  himself  into  the  doubtful  struggle  of  a  peo- 
ple not  bound  personally  to  himself  by  any  native 
ties,  but  thirsting  for  national  independence.  No 
born  citizen  of  America  could  have  sacrificed  more 
than  this  foreigner  and  stranger  did  until  the  final 


12  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

battle  was  fought  which  sealed  the  freedom  of 
America.  Returning  home,  —  after  unprecedent- 
ed sacrifices  on  the  soil  of  Europe,  and  labors  for 
the  civil  and  religious  freedom  of  his  own  coun- 
try, with  a  naturally  vigorous  constitution  worn 
down  and  exhausted  by  his  eventful  career,  — 
he  died,  a  Citizen  of  the  World,  honored  and  la- 
mented wherever  his  merits  had  been  known. 

The  spirit  and  example  of  Lafayette,  second 
only  in  their  lustre,  power,  and  influence  to  those 
of  Washington  himself,  did  much  to  bring  out, 
call  into  action,  and  sustain  the  long  list  of  men, 
a  portion  of  whom  this  book  attempts  to  describe. 
Their  lives  were  in  this  way  taken  up  into  the 
life  of  the  new  nation.  We  cannot  understand  its 
institutions,  or  comprehend  their  purpose,  until 
we  have  penetrated  into  the  motives  and  actions 
of  those  men  wTho,  in  this  spirit,  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  our  government. 

We  read  the  record  of  the  various  movements 
of  the  people,  their  awakening  and  uprising  in 
every  direction.  We  see  them  gathering,  associat- 
ing, combining,  in  large  or  small  bodies.  The 
First  Provincial  Congress  meets  at  Salem,  Mass., 
September,  1774  ;  and,  while  it  is  in  session,  the 
Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia  is  also  in 
session.  And  the  latter  draws  encouragement 
and  support  from  the  former.  Nor  is  this  all. 
The  assemblies  of  the  Provinces  are  animated  by 
the  patriotic  course  of  the  towns.  They  are,  in 
all  directions,  meeting,  and  passing  resolutions  full 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

of  wisdom,  of  determination,  and  a  wide-spreading 
influence. 

But  to  stop  here  would  give  us  a  most  imper- 
fect knowledge  of  the  true  springs  of  power,  the 
heralds  of  increasing  strength,  and  assurances  of 
final  success,  which  marked  this  eventful  period. 
Not  only  was  there  a  constant  menace  from  the 
British  throne,  the  personal  authority  of  its  repre- 
sentatives, the  threats  of  a  horde  of  officials  to 
withstand,  and  every  form  of  intimidation  by  new 
acts  of  Parliament,  more  and  more  oppressive  to 
the  American  Colonies,  to  encounter,  but  the 
people  themselves  were  by  no  means  wholly 
united  in  their  resistance  to  this  array  of  ob- 
stacles to  their  freedom  and  independence. 

What  was  needed  to  encounter  this  host  of  dif- 
ficulties ?  Strong  men  to  rise  up  out  of  families, 
distinguished,  or  perhaps  as  yet  obscure,  and  ex- 
press the  growing  indignation  of  a  people  con- 
scious of  their  rights,  and  wanting  only  a  sense 
of  ability  and  means  to  assert  them.  Indispen- 
sable were  a  James  Otis,  "  to  breathe  the  breath 
of  life  "  into  the  as  yet  feeble  colonies ;  a  Josiah 
Quincy,  to  write  with  a  diamond-pointed  pen  those 
quickening  words  which  he  alone  could  write  in 
the  dawn  of  the  movement ;  a  Samuel  Adams,  with 
Spartan  firmness  and  Roman  wisdom,  to  do  all, 
and  having  done  all,  to  stand  ;  a  John  Adams,  to 
step  forth  and,  in  the  face  of  all  timid  and  reluctant 
spirits,  who  would  delay  action  and  hope  for  a 
peaceable  redress  of  the  wrongs  and  grievances  of 


14  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  hour,  to  say  in  effect,  "  Sink  or  swim,  live  or 
die,  survive  or  perish,  I  give  my  hand  and  my  heart 
to  this  Declaration  of  Independence."  It  needed 
a  man,  when  the  first  moment  had  come  for  force 
and  arms  to  work  out  our  cause,  one  trained 
from  his  boyhood  by  a  wise  and  devoted  mother, 
who  could  take  the  head  of  our  army,  and  —  as 
judicious  as  he  was  energetic,  as  cautious  as  he 
was  courageous,  as  self-controlled  as  he  was  power- 
ful, as  persistent  as  he  was  bold,  —  to  take  up  the 
work,  and  to  gain  and  keep  the  confidence  of  the 
people. 

And  more  than  this,  our  commander  must  not 
only  be  a  hero  himself,  but  know  human  nature 
through  and  through  —  to  select  the  right  man  for 
every  new  post  and  position,  for  his  own  staff  (his 
"military  family"),  and  for  the  command  of  the 
various  lines  of  the  service.  Each  State  must  be 
united,  and  satisfied  with  those  within  its  limits  who 
should  be  selected,  able  to  secure  that  union  in 
which  alone  is  strength,  and  that  harmony  of  spirit 
and  purpose  without  which  this  fearful  and  most 
hazardous  attempt  for  freedom  and  independence 
would  disastrously  fail. 

The  hour  brought  the  man ;  he,  who  alone  had 
the  gifts  vital  to  our  cause,  was  found.  For  eight 
long  and  dreary  years  the  contest  was  waged ;  the 
hearts  of  an  impoverished  and  war-worn  people, 
were  now  a  little  encouraged,  and  now  by  some 
defeat  cast  down,  and  well  nigh  in  despair ;  at 
length  a  victory  clear,  hailed  at  home  and  con- 
fessed abroad,  crowned  our  arms. 


GEORGE    WASHINGTON. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

We  owe  this  result  largely  to  the  steady  hand 
at  the  helm  which  guided  our  vessel  on  ;  but  much 
also  to  the  extraordinary  adaptation  of  his  subor- 
dinates to  their  several  offices,  and  —  notwithstand- 
ing those  occasional  jealousies,  unavoidable  in  mili- 
tary as  in  civil  relations  —  to  the  prevailing  union 
of  'spirit  and  harmony  in  action  of  the  officers  in 
the  army  of  the  Revolution.  This  most  observ- 
able and  effective  harmony  of  the  men  in  com- 
mand, through  that  trying  period,  received  its 
brightest  illustration  in  the  immediate  formation 
of  that  association  established  on  the  close  of  the 
war,  which  has  existed  down  to  the  present  day, 
the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  to  be  a  military 
family,  in  its  transmitted  virtues  of  patriotism  and 
high  personal  worth. 

In  a  work  on  Revolutionary  men  and  their  fam- 
ilies, the  Cincinnati  Society,  made  up  as  it  is  of  the 
lineal  and  collateral  descendants  of  Revolutionary 
officers,  ought,  we  can  see,  to  hold  a  prominent  place. 
An  institution  was  needed  which  should  receive  the 
sanction  of  Washington,  of  which  he  should  be  the 
first  president,  and  to  which  the  officers  of  the  Revo- 
lution should  give  their  approval ;  which  should  be 
favored  by  Lafayette,  and  of  which,  through  his 
influence,  a  branch  should  be  at  once  formed  in 
France,  —  our  noble  ally  in  the  war,  without  whose 
aid  the  British  Lion  might  have  never  relaxed  his 
hold  upon  us.  This  society  was  encouraged  by  our 
German  allies,  and  Baron  von  Steuben  and  oth- 
ers of  his  country  were  members    of  it.      Their 


16  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

descendants  came,  as  representatives  of  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  to  unite  with  us  in  our  recent 
commemoration  of  the  battle  of  Yorktown.  For 
these  and  other  reasons  this  institution  deserves  a 
much  larger  place  than  has  hitherto  been  accorded 
to  it  in  the  historic  and  biographical  memorials  of 
the  Revolution. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined  that,  in  the  notices  of 
men  of  the  Revolution  which  follow,  I  would 
lose  sight  of  that  great  field  which  lies  far  be- 
yond our  own  special  country,  and  encloses  its 
claims.  We  ought  never  to  forget  that  hu- 
manity is  larger  than  any  national  limits.  We 
separated  ourselves,  it  is  true,  from  the  govern- 
mental control  of  England.  But  she  was  still 
our  mother  country,  and  it  was  as  it  is  in  the 
family  when  a  son  reaches  his  majority.  Amer- 
ica left  her  old  home,  and  became  free,  not,  in 
the  deepest  and  truest  sense,  because  of  war  and 
violence,  —  but  this  country  became  free  because 
it  was  of  age.  The  time  had  arrived  when  the 
change  was  in  the  course  of  nature. 

We  are  to  remember  that  very  many  of  the  old- 
est families  of  this  country  trace  their  ancestry 
back  to  Great  Britain.  In  my  boyhood  I  recol- 
lect my  grandfather  pointed  out  to  me,  in  the  old 
house  where  we  lived,  marks  in  the  stairs  of  the 
attic,  made  by  the  prod  of  his  grandfather's  cane, 
as  he  went  up  to  oversee  his  men  at  work  on 
his  large  farm.  Here  was  a  bond  going  back  six 
generations.      The   seventh   took  us  to  a  British 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

ancestor,  who  left  Scotland,  came  to  this  country, 
and  was  made  a  Freeman  in  1634.  So  are  the  two 
countries  shown  to  be  of  kin  by  a  comparatively 
short  computation.  Two  parents,  four  grand- 
parents, eight  great-grandparents,  sixteen  great- 
great-grand  parents,  carry  us  ere  long  into  a  large 
population  of  our  own  kindred  and  name.  Our 
temporary  national  separations,  like  family  feuds, 
are  usually  healed  in  a  no  protracted  period  of  time, 
and  we  return  to  the  normal  harmony  of  the  do- 
mestic circle. 

Thus  the  apparently  wide  alienation  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  of  America 
was  destined  in  a  single  century  to  nearly  disap- 
pear. After  the  Revolution  had  passed,  there 
were  disturbing  elements  still  left,  which  led  to 
the  War  of  1812 ;  but  when  that  closed,  the  peace 
that  followed  was  welcome  on  both  sides  of 
the  ocean ;  and  "  an  era  of  good  feeling "  soon 
brought  Federalist  and  Democrat  together.  The 
Northern  and  Southern  States  afterward  came 
into  collision,  but  Washington  became  at  length 
once  more  a  head-centre  to  our  Republic.  Ed- 
ward Everett  delivered  a  lecture  on  that  great 
man,  and  was  greeted  by  enthusiastic  audiences 
North  and  South.  True,  no  power  could  avert 
that  civil  conflict  which  sprung  from  the  raging 
fires  of  slavery.  The  War  of  the  Rebellion  soon 
came ;  and  when  the  old  lady  of  ninety-six,  whose 
hand  in  her  youth  had  moulded  bullets  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  knit  a  pair  of  stockings,  and 


18  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

accompanied  the  gift  to  our  soldiers  with  the  de- 
termined motto,  "  Let  these  toes  always  point  to- 
ward the  rebels/'  she  represented  the  hostile 
spirit  which  animated  every  Free  State  of  the 
country.  But,  the  war  over,  in  less  than  a  score 
of  years  tjie  South  joins  the  North  in  celebrating 
the  birthday  of  Washington,  and  now  the  family 
strife  is  fast  fading  out  of  sight. 

Most  touching  was  the  harmonizing  effect  of 
the  disastrous  event  which  took  from  us  our  hon- 
ored and  loved  Garfield,  as  it  was  seen  in  the 
domestic  relations.  The  afflicted  wife  yearned  to- 
ward her  down-stricken  husband,  and  the  aged 
mother  mourned  for  her  suffering  son,  and  through 
weary  weeks  and  months  the  pains  of  his  long 
agony  moved,  not  only  our  own  millions  of 
stricken  hearts  with  a  personal  sympathy,  but 
the  good  Victoria,  herself  still  mourning  the  loss 
of  her  own  dearest  and  best,  sent  constant  mes- 
sages from  a  spirit  anxious  through  all  the  sickness, 
and  bowed  in  the  common  grief  at  the  death,  of 
our  beloved  President. 

So  have  we  learned  the  great  lesson  of  the 
inappreciable  strength  of  our  domestic  bonds,  and 
that  the  love  of  country  and  the  love  of  home  are 
branches  of  the  same  earth-sheltering  tree.  Kin, 
kindred,  kind,  they  all  belong  to  a  common  vo- 
cabulary. The  rills  that  start  on  the  mountain 
side,  symbols  of  the  modest  homes  that  grow 
heroes  and  patriots,  flow  into  the  rivers  that  glad- 
den the  nation,  and  mingle  at  last  in  one  great 
ocean  of  humanity. 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

The  life  that  was  nourished  at  the  calm  fireside 
is  given  in  its  manliest  years,  to  the  service  of  its 
country  ;  and,  in  the  lapse  of  time  the  same  men 
who  stood  up  so  bravely  for  their  native  land,  be- 
come, by  their  generous  deeds  at  home,  examples 
and  inspirers  to  the  nations  abroad.  The  War  of 
the  Eevolution  is  thus  every  year  accomplishing 
for  the  wide  world  a  good,  once  not  conceived  pos- 
sible, in  stirring  patriots  on  foreign  soils  to  work 
out  their  civil  redemption,  and  thus  scatters  the 
seeds  of  national  liberty  broadcast  over  the  whole 
civilized  globe.  The  domestic  piety  that  nourished 
patriotism  thus  becomes  the  parent  of  philan- 
thropy. He  whose  heart  throbbed  for  his  own 
hearthstone  and  his  native  land  in  her  struggle 
for  freedom  and  independence,  through  her  day  of 
small  things,  may  become  a  light  to  some  aspiring 
friend  of  freedom  elsewhere,  and  nerve  him  to  a 
courage  and  conflict  with  oppression  and  injustice, 
until  he  too  shall  see  the  light  of  liberty  dawn 
on  his  own  country. 

We  rejoice  to  think  that  our  fathers  came  of  a 
race  whose  lessons  and  examples  awoke  in  them 
that  spirit  which  had  prompted  their  own  sacrifice, 
and  led,  as  it  had  in  England,  to  noble  results.  They 
had  behind  them  the  record  of  English  resistance 
to  the  oppressor,  and  of  English  victories  for  the 
right.  They  remembered  what  the  barons  of 
England  did  to  secure  Magna  Charta ;  how  Hamp- 
den fought  the  demands  of  tyranny,  and  Pym 
led  the  way  in   the  Revolution   of    their  mother 


20  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

country ;  how  Cromwell  defended  the  people  when 
assaulted  by  royalty ;  how  Sydney,  the  soldier 
and  martyr,  laid  his  head  on  the  block  "  with  the 
fortitude  of  a  stoic."  And  thus  at  length  the  elder 
of  the  British  family  instructed  and  inspired  the 
younger  to  quit  themselves  like  men,  and  throw 
off  the  yoke  even  when  laid  on  their  necks  by 
their  own  parental  government. 

Thanks  that  all  this  is  past, —  that  to-day  we  can 
meet  in  mutual  respect  and  consideration  to  com- 
memorate what  was  so  bitter  to  England  during 
our  Revolution.  The  change  of  temper  between 
the  New  and  the  Old  World  of  the  forefathers,  is 
most  welcome.  We  live  in  a  pacific  and  concilia- 
tory age ;  and  may  the  time  past,  the  period  cov- 
ered by  this  book,  suffice  both  nations  for  any 
alienations  and  deep  unfriendliness,  or  any  acts 
contrary  to  the  temper  that  becomes  the  great 
brotherhood  of  mankind. 


JAMES    A.    GARFIELD. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OTIS      FAMILY. 

Harrison  Gray  Otis  was,  in  the  year  1828,  a 
candidate  for  the  mayoralty  of  Boston.  The  elec- 
tion being  on  Monday,  as  was  the  custom  a  caucus 
was  held  on  the  Sunday  evening  previous.  Hon. 
Josiah  Quincy  was  the  opposing  candidate.  Two 
men  of  such  ability  drew  a  crowded  audience.  1 
regarded  it  as  a  feast  to  listen  to  both  of  them  on 
the  same  occasion.  Mr.  Otis  speaks  first.  His 
personal  appearance  is  most  striking  :  a  large  frame, 
tall,  and  well  proportioned,  with  a  bearing  dignified 
and  courteous,  a  true  "  gentleman  of  the  old 
school," — his  complexion  florid,  with  bright  eyes, 
and  a  pleasing  and  gracious  expression,  ha  prepos- 
sesses general  favor  as  he  rises  from  his  seat. 
This  effect  is  enhanced  by  a  voice  mellow,  flexible, 
and  admirably  modulated.  His  gesticulation  is 
graceful,  his  whole  manner  persuasive.  He  is,  in 
fine,  of  the  Ciceronian  School,  that  of  the  con- 
summate orator. 

As  he  unfolds  the  policy  he  shall  pursue,  if 
elected,  it  is  evident  he  strikes  the  right  key  for 
success.     He   is  applauded  at  frequent  intervals, 


22  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  resumes  his  seat  amid  deafening  cheers.  It 
is  a  trying  moment  for  Mr.  Quincy ;  there  are 
few  men  who  could  follow  such  an  effort  entirely 
at  their  ease.  Mr.  Quincy,  —  a  manly  and  noble 
figure,  and  with  the  prestige  of  that  power  he  had 
exhibited  in  every  station,  from  the  humblest  in 
civil  life  up  to  a  seat  in  Congress,  where  he  had 
been  not  only  honored  by  his  constituents,  but 
"  lauded  by  lauded  men," —  on  almost  any  other 
occasion  would  at  once  have  borne  the  palm  over 
the  ablest  competitor.  But,  with  a  constitutional 
hesitancy  of  speech,  he  feels,  it  is  manifest,  an  un- 
usual embarrassment.  Mr.  Otis,  seeing  clearly 
what  he  is  attempting  to  utter,  rises,  and  in  a  few 
flowing  periods,  gives  an  eloquent  expression  to 
the  thought  of  his  rival.  The  effect  is  electric. 
His  noble  magnanimity  brings  out  cheer  upon 
cheer;  and  it  is  followed  by  a  speech  from  Mr. 
Quincy,  comprehensive,  logical,  worthy  of  the  man 
and  of  the  occasion. 

The  lineage  of  Mr.  Otis  is  so  remarkable  as  to 
deserve  notice.  He  descended  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eration from  John  Otis,  born  in  Barnstable,  Dev- 
onshire County,  England,  in  1581,  who  came  with 
his  wife  and  children  to  Hingham  in  this  country 
in  1635.  He  took  the  Freeman's  oath  in  1636,  and 
was  called  Yeoman.  His  wife,  Margaret,  died 
June  28,  1653.  He  then  removed  to  Weymouth, 
and  married  a  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Streame,  a 
widow.  He  died  in  Weymouth  May  31,  1657, 
aged  seventy-six,  leaving  a  widow  who  was  living 


OTIS    FAMILY.  23 

in  1663.  John,  son  of  John,  born  in  England, 
1620,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Jacob, 
in  1652,  and  died  January  16,  1683.  He  lived 
first  in  Hingham ;  then  at  Scituate  in  1661 ;  went  to 
Barnstable  in  1678,  and  took  the  Otis  Farm ; 
and  finally  returned  to  Scituate,  and  died  there 
January  16,  1683. 

John  Otis,  called  "  Colonel  John,"  son  of  John, 
son  of  John,  born  in  1657  in  Hingham,  settled  in 
Barnstable.  He  possessed  extraordinary  abilities, 
great  wit,  was  affable,  and  had  rare  sagacity  and 
prudence.  He  was  Representative  twenty  years, 
commanded  a  regiment  of  militia  eighteen  years, 
was  Judge  of  Probate  thirteen  years,  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and  one  of  his 
Majesty's  Council,  1706-27.  He  married  Mercy 
Bacon,  July  18,  1683,  and  died  September  23, 
1727,  aged  seventy.  Joseph,  brother  of  the 
above,  was  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  1703-14,  and  Representative  from  Scituate, 
1700-13.  He  was  a  "public-spirited  man,  of 
ready  wit  and  a  sound  understanding,  and  held 
in  great  esteem."  His  eldest  daughter,  Bethia, 
married  first,  Rev.  William  Billings,  second,  Rev. 
Samuel  Moseley.  She  was  born  November  20, 
1703,  and  died  May  29,  1750,  aged  forty-seven. 
The  "  New  England  Historical  Register "  says : 
"  She  descended  from  an  illustrious  ancestry,  be- 
came successively  the  wife  of  two  ministers,  and, 
what  is  more,  was  one  of  the  subscribers  for 
'  Prince's    Chronology.'  "     Her    second    husband, 


24  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Rev.  Samuel  Moseley,  was  born  August  15,  1708. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College,  1729,  studied 
for  the  ministry,  and  was  chaplain  to  Governor 
Belcher,  at  Castle  William.  In  1734  he  was  pastor 
at  Windham,  Connecticut ;  he  was  forty-eight  years 
in  the  active  ministry,  and  died  July  26,  1791, 
aged  eighty-three.  "  He  was  an  accomplished 
gentleman  and  scholar,  intrepid  in  whatever  he 
thought  his  duty,  both  with  regard  to  practice 
and  opinion,  but  open  to  conviction,  and  frank  in 
confessing  his  mistakes.  Nine  years  a  paralytic, 
his  reason  was  undisturbed,  and  he  continued 
patient,  resigned,  and  full  of  faith  to  the  last." 

Among  the  children  of  Samuel  and  Bethia  (Otis) 
Moseley  was  Samuel,  born  April  27,  1739.  He 
was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  Corporal  of 
Captain  Knowlton's  Company,  and  the  tradition 
is  that  he  was  killed  and  buried  on  the  ground. 
Anna,  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  and  Bethia  (Otis) 
Moseley,  born  May  23,  1746,  died  March  6,  1815. 
She  married  Deacon  Daniel  Dunham  of  Lebanon, 
Connecticut.  They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom 
Colonel  Josiah,  the  eldest,  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1789,  and  was  appointed  in  1793, 
by  General  Washington,  a  captain  in  the  regular 
army.  He  left  the  army  in  1808  ;  and  was  Secre- 
tary of  State  in  Vermont,  and  aid  to  the  Governor, 
with  the  rank  of  colonel.  In  1821  he  established 
a  female  academy  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  which 
had  a  wide  reputation.  He  married  Susan  Hedge, 
sister   of   Professor    Hedge    of    Harvard    College. 


OTIS    FAMILY.  25 

He  was  born  April   7,   1769,  and  died  May  10, 
1844. 

Nathaniel  Otis,  born  1690,  brother  of  John,  born 
in  1687,  was  a  prominent  man,  who  settled  in 
Sandwich.  He  was  Register  of  Probate  several 
years,  and  died  in  December,  1739.  He  married 
Abigail  Russel,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Russel, 
who  was  ordained  at  Barnstable  in  1683.  Presi- 
dent Stiles  says  :  "  She  was  every  way  a  woman  of 
superior  excellence,  of  exceedingly  good  natural 
abilities,  possessed  of  natural  dignity  and  respect- 
ability, of  considerable  reading,  and  extensive  ob- 
servation." She  died  March  30,  1744.  Their 
children  were  Abigail,  born  August  19,  1712 ; 
Nathaniel,  born  April  16,  1716,  and  died  early  ; 
Martha,  born  December  11,  1719,  married  Edward 
Freeman  of  Sandwich,  whose  son  was  Nathaniel 
Freeman  of  Revolutionary  fame  ;  Solomon,  born 
1696,  third  son  of  Colonel  John,  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1717 ;  was  Register  of  Deeds, 
County  Treasurer,  Justice  of  Peace,  &c,  and  died 
January  2,  1778.  He  had  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  died  early. 

Colonel  James,  son  of  James,  son  of  John,  son 
of  John,  son  of  John,  born  1702,  married  Mary 
Allyne  in  Connecticut.  "  She  was  a  woman  of 
very  superior  character."  Their  children  were : 
(1)  James,  son  of  James,  son  of  John,  son  of  John, 
son  of  John,  born  February  5,  1725,  —  the  Patriot, 
graduated  at  Harvard  College,  1743.  (2)  Joseph, 
born    March    6,  1723,— a   General.     (3)  Mercy, 


26  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

born  September  14,  1728 ;  the  Historian,  in  1805, 
of  the  "  American  Revolution,"  in  three  volumes. 
She  also  wrote  a  volume  of  poems,  and  a  poetical 
satire,  "  The  Group,"  in  1775.  She  married 
General  James  Warren,  and  died  at  Plymouth  in 
1814,  aged  eighty-six.  (4)  Mary,  born  September 
9,  1730,  who  married  John  Gray.  (5)  Hannah, 
born  July  31,  1732,  died  unmarried.  (6)  Na- 
thaniel, born  July  9,  1734,  died  young.  (7)  Mar- 
tha, born  October  9,  1736,  died  young.  (8)  Abi- 
gail, born  June  30,  1738,  died  young.  (9)  Samuel 
Allyne,  born  November  24,  1740,  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1759,  and  became  a  merchant. 

(10)  Sarah,  born  April  11,  1742,  died  unmarried. 

(11)  Nathaniel,  born  April  5,  1743,  died  April  30, 
1763.     (12)  A  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Colonel  James  Otis  was  a  prominent  and  very 
popular  man,  as  is  shown  by  the  address  sent  to 
him  by  the  "  Body  of  the  People,"  met  at  Barn- 
stable, September  20,  1744,  to  consider  "  the  late 
oppressive  acts  of  Parliament,"  he  being  then 
"  one  of  his  Majesty's  Constitutional  Council "  of 
that  Province.  They  "  pray  "  that  he  will  attend 
"  the  Great  and  General  Court "  at  its  next  ses- 
sion, and  proceed  to  say :  "  that  you  will  continue 
those  endeavors  to  obtain  a  redress  of  the  griev- 
ances so  justly  complained  of  by  the  people,  which 
have  long  distinguished  you  as  an  able  defender 
of  our  Constitution  and  Liberties." 

The  "  Body  "  voted  that  their  committee  present 
their  address  in  person  to  his  Honor,  James  Otis, 


OTIS    FAMILY.  27 

and  that  "  we  will  walk  in  procession  to  see  it 
presented  to  our  country's  great  benefactor  and 
friend."  Accordingly  "  the  whole  body  marched 
in  procession,  with  the  committee  at  their  head, 
attended  by  music,  to  the  house  where  Mr.  Otis 
was  residing,  —  in  solid  body  in  rank  and  file,"  — 
and  were  courteously  received  by  him,  and  he 
afterward  replied  as  follows : 

"  Gentlemen, —  Your  very  complaisant  address  to  me 
as  a  Constitutional  Councillor  of  this  Province,  desiring 
me  to  attend  my  duty  at  Salem  on  the  5th  of  October, 
I  am  obliged  for  ;  and  for  putting  me  in  mind  of  my 
duty  ;  and  I  am  determined  to  attend  at  Salem  at  that 
time,  in  case  my  health  permits. 

"  I  am  your  very  humble  servant, 

"  James  Otis." 

"Barnstable,  September  26,  1774." 

This  reply  of  Colonel  Otis  "  the  whole  Body"  heard 
with  their  heads  uncovered,  and  then  gave  three 
cheers  in  token  of  their  satisfaction,  and  their  high 
approbation  of  his  answer,  as  well  as  esteem  and 
veneration  for  his  person  and  character.  This 
done,  they  returned  in  procession  to  the  court- 
house. 

Joseph  Otis,  second  son  of  Colonel  James,  was 
appointed  Collector  of  Customs  by  President  Wash- 
ington, was  prominent  as  a  Patriot  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, many  years  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  and  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature,  He 
was  a  successful  merchant,  and  a  General. 


28  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

After  a  long  and  honored  life,  he  died  Septem- 
ber 23,  1810,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Samuel  Allyne  Otis,  born  November  24,  1740, 
married  first,  Elizabeth,  only  daughter  of  Harrison 
Gray,  Receiver  General  of  Massachusetts  Province ; 
and  second,  Mary,  widow  of  Edward  Gray,  Esq., 
and  daughter  of  Isaac  Smith.  He  held  several  im- 
portant offices,  was  elected  Member  of  Congress, 
1788,  and,  after  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution, 
was  chosen  Secretary  of  the  United  States  Senate, 
and,  for  twenty-five  years,  was  never  absent  from 
his  place.  He  died  at  Washington,  April  22, 1814, 
aged  seventy-three  years. 

Harrison  Gray  Otis,  son  of  Samuel  Allyne  Otis, 
was  born  in  Boston,  October  8,  1765,  on  the  estate 
adjoining  the  present  Revere  House.  He  remem- 
bered standing,  April  19,  1775,  at  the  window,  to 
see  some  of  the  British  Regulars  who  were  to  march 
to  Lexington.  On  leaving  his  father's  house  after- 
ward, to  go  to  the  Latin  School,  he  found  the 
sides  of  what  is  now  Tremont  Street  lined  by  the 
brigade  commanded  by  Lord  Percy,  afterwards  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland.  The  troops  were  drawn 
up  from  Scollay's  Square  to  a  point  beyond  School 
Street,  and  he  was  not  allowed  to  pass  into  School 
Street;  so,  going  round  by  that  square,  he  reached 
the  Latin  School  in  time  to  hear  Master  Lovell  give 
the  order,  "  Deponete  Libros."  There  were  no  les- 
sons that  day ;  and  Lord  Percy  marched  out  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  King's  Troops,  and  met 
them  about  half  a  mile  below  Lexington  meeting- 
house, on  their  return  from  Concord. 


OTIS    FAMILY.  29 

Before  this,  Otis  had  attended  a  school  in  Han- 
over Street,  kept  by  "Master  Griffith."  Every 
Wednesday  afternoon  the  boys  who  had  behaved 
well  expected  to  receive  a  prize ;  and  it  was  this, 
—  shellbarks  thrown  out  of  the  window,  for  which 
the  boys  scrambled. 

He  was  nearly  ten  years  old  at  the  opening  of 
the  Revolution.  His  immediate  ancestors  resided 
in  Barnstable,  and  he  lived  there  when  a  boy, 
during  the  Siege  of  Boston.  He  recollected  well 
hearing  of  the  excitement  when  the  news  of  the 
burning  of  Charlestown  by  the  British  reached 
Barnstable  ;  every  one  seemed  ready  to  rush  to  the 
cannon's  mouth  in  defence  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Otis,  at  the  dedication  of  the  Otis  School, 
Lancaster  Street,  March  13,  1845,  related  many 
curious  anecdotes  of  his  early  experience.  He 
entered  the  Latin  School  in  1773.  "What,"  he 
asked,  "  did  the  scholars  then  learn  ?  A  few  Latin 
roots  to  squeeze  them  into  college,  and  mere 
ciphering." 

From  the  Latin  School  he  entered  Harvard  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1785,  having  received 
the  highest  honors  in  a  class  in  which  were  William 
Prescott  and  Artemas  Ward.  He  began  profes- 
sional life,  it  is  said,  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
Having  preached  in  a  country  parish,  not  far  from 
Boston,  a  certain  Sunday,  he  was  asked,  as  he  him- 
self gives  the  story,  by  the  deacon  of  the  church, 
what  he  should  pay  him  for  his  services.  "  What 
you  think  they  are  worth,"  was  the  reply.     The 


30  KEMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

good  deacon  gave  him  a  pistareen,  —  twenty  cents. 
"  Upon  that,"  says  Mr.  Otis,  "  I  thought  it  expe- 
dient to  take  some  other  profession  than  the  minis- 
try." He  determined  on  the  law,  and,  having 
studied  with  Judge  John  Lowell,  his  decision 
proved  wise ;  for,  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1786,  he  became  eminent  as  an  advocate,  and 
was  distinguished  in  civil  and  political  life.  At  a 
public  meeting,  on  the  subject  of  Jay's  Treaty,  he 
made  a  speech,  at  which  time  Bishop  Cheveruswas 
among  those  who  thronged  around  him,  after  its 
close,  with  congratulations.  "  Future  generations," 
said  he  to  a  bystander,  "  will  rise  up  and  call  that 
young  man  blessed." 

Mr.  Otis  was  too  young  to  take  part  in  the 
Revolution ;  but  he  bore  arms  in  repressing  the 
Shays  Insurrection,  1786-87,  which  required  the 
military  services  of  every  able-bodied  citizen. 

In  November,  1791,  a  town-meeting,  in  Faneuil 
Hall,  instructed  the  Boston  Representatives  to  ob- 
tain, if  possible,  the  repeal  of  the  act  prohibiting 
theatrical  representations.  Mr.  Otis  opposed  the 
repeal.  It  was  on  this  occasion  Samuel  Adams 
said  he  "  thanked  God  that  there  was  one  younv 
man  willing  to  step  forth  in  the  good  old  cause 
of  morality  and  religion." 

In  1796  he  was  chosen  to  represent  Boston  in 
the  State  Legislature,  and  the  same  year  he  suc- 
ceeded Fisher  Ames  in  Congress  ;  about  this  time 
he  was  appointed  United  States  District  Attor- 
ney for    Massachusetts.     From  1803  to  1805  he 


OTIS    FAMILY.  31 

was  Speaker  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Kepre- 
sentatives.  In  the  political  struggle  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Senate,  1805,  by  a  vote  of  nineteen  out 
of  thirty-seven,  he  was  chosen  by  the  Federalists 
its  President,  and  continued  in  that  office  several 
years.  What  an  array  of  talent  was  seen  in  1811, 
when  Elbridge  Gerry  was  Governor  of  the  State, 
Joseph  Story  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  Harrison 
Gray  Otis  President  of  the  Senate  ! 

At  the  bar,  meantime,  Mr.  Otis  was,  especially 
before  juries,  a  man  of  transcendent  power.  If  he 
had  not  the  massive  learning  and  strength  of 
Parsons,  or  the  majesty  of  Dexter,  he  fascinated  his 
hearers  "  by  his  honeyed  flow  and  brilliant  sparkle." 
In  the  celebrated  trial  of  Fairbanks  for  murder  in 
Dedham,  Otis  and  Lowell  occupied  six  hours,  with 
their  wonted  powers  of  persuasion,  in  ingenious 
efforts  to  save  the  life  of  the  prisoner,  although  the 
unsurpassed  eloquence  of  Otis  failed  of  its  aim. 

Among  the  recollections  of  my  boyhood  are  con- 
versations upon  the  duel  between  Hamilton  and 
Burr,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  former. 
In  our  Federal  family  the  name  of  Aaron  Burr, 
of  course,  ever  afterward,  was  a  spell  to  conjure 
up  all  that  is  corrupt  in  politics  and  base  in  charac- 
ter. No  greater  contrast  could  be  drawn  than  that 
between  him  and  Hamilton,  and  that  he  should 
have  brought  death  to  that  pure  man,  that  noble 
patriot,  that  exalted  genius,  the  friend  of  Washing- 
ton, the  model  of  all  excellence,  was  too  much 
even  for  the  mind  and  heart  of  a  boy.     Trained 


32  EEMHSTISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

amid  such  traditions,  with  the  high  regard  we 
entertained  for  the  Otis  family,  it  seemed  to  us  all, 
as  we  listened  to  the  account  of  that  day,  that  no 
man  living  could  have  done  greater  justice  to  the 
memory  of  Hamilton  than  Harrison  Gray  Otis. 
When  he  rose  in  King  s  Chapel,  July  26,  1804,  to 
pronounce  a  eulogy  on  that  great  man,  in  the 
presence  of  many  distinguished  citizens  of  Boston, 
and  with  Rufus  King  among  his  auditors,  it  was 
indeed  a  memorable  occasion.  The  nation  was  in 
mourning,  and  party  feeling  seemed,  we  are  told, 
allayed  at  that  moment.  We  may  envy  those 
privileged  to  hear  the  gifted  orator  of  the  day, 
as  with  consummate  grace  he  portrayed  the  signal 
virtues,  the  masterly  intellect,  and  the  high  and 
patriotic  services  of  Alexander  Hamilton.  It  was 
but  just  that  near  the  close  of  his  eulogy  he  should 
give  this  picture  of  the  public  feeling :  "The  univer- 
sal sorrow,  manifested  in  every  part  of  the  Union 
upon  the  melancholy  exit  of  this  great  man,  is  an 
unequivocal  testimonial  of  his  public  worth.  The 
place  of  his  residence  is  overspread  with  a  gloom 
which  bespeaks  the  pressure  of  a  public  calamity, 
and  the  prejudices  of  party  are  absorbed  in  the 
overflowing  tide  of  national  grief." 

During  the  War  of  1812  Mr.  Otis  was  continu- 
ously either  in  Congress  or  in  one  of  the  legislative 
branches  of  his  State,  where  he  was  often  at  the 
head  of  the  one  or  the  other.  The  people  looked 
to  him  as  their  guide  in  all  the  trying  scenes  of 
that  period.     With    a  cultivated  mind  and  com- 


OTIS    FAMILY.  33 

manding  eloquence,  he  was  easily  first  among  his 
equals,  ready  alike  with  his  voice  and  his  pen. 

No  impartial  judge  can  now  say  his  purposes 
were  not  pure.  He  was  the  last  man  —  although 
then  charged  by  his  opponents  with  that  crime, 
and  although  his  example  was  quoted  by  one  sec- 
tion of  the  country  in  the  late  Civil  War —  to  favor 
a  combination,  by  discussion,  still  less  by  bloodshed, 
to  bring  on,  through  discord  and  strife,  a  dissolu- 
tion of  this  noble  fabric,  this  glorious  Union, 
consummated  by  the  wisdom  and  sacrifices  of  our 
fathers. 

In  1814  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hartford  Con- 
vention of  the  New  England  States,  to  consider 
some  mode  of  defending  these  States  and  arrest- 
ing the  grievances  produced  by  the  war  with  Great 
Britain.  This  convention  was  in  session  from 
the  fifteenth  of  December,  1814,  to  the  fifth  of  the 
following  January.  Their  proceedings,  it  is  true, 
were  conducted  with  closed  doors,  and  yet  nothing 
was  done  unfriendly  to  the  peace  and  harmony  of 
the  country.  In  the  call  to  it  the  members  were 
expressly  enjoined  not  to  propose  measures  "  repug- 
nant to  their  obligations  as  members  of  the  Union." 
After  twenty  days'  deliberation  they  published  an 
Address  to  the  People.  It  spoke  of  the  evils  of  the 
existing  war,  of  the  enlistment  of  minors  and 
apprentices,  of  the  national  government  assuming 
to  command  the  State  Militia,  and  of  the  proposed 
system  of  conscription  for  both  the  army  and  navy  ; 
and   yet  it    contained    these  very   words :    "  Our 

3 


34  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

object  is  to  strengthen  and  perpetuate  the  union  of 
these  States,  by  removing  the  causes  of  jealousies." 
Not  to  overthrow,  but  amend  the  Constitution, 
was  their  aim  and  labor.  They  would  equalize 
the  representation  in  Congress,  by  basing  it  on 
free  population;  they  were  opposed  to  embar- 
goes and  non-intercourse  laws,  and  would  make 
the  President  ineligible  for  a  second  term.  I 
remember  well  the  abuse  and  crimination  heaped 
upon  them  by  their  opponents  in  my  own  town  ; 
"  enemies  of  their  country,"  "  traitors,"  and  many 
other  forms  of  calumniation  were  often  in  my  ears  j 
but  when  the  Massachusetts  legislature  adopted 
their  report,  and  sent  such  men  as  Harrison  Gray 
Otis,  Thomas  H.  Perkins,  and  William  Sullivan 
commissioners  to  Washington,  asking  Congress  to 
consent  to  the  measures  of  a  convention  contain- 
ing the  names  of  George  Cabot,  Harrison  Gray 
Otis,  Samuel  S.  Wilde,  Nathan  Dane,  William 
Prescott,  Joseph  Lyman,  Stephen  Longfellow  Jr., 
Daniel  Waldo,  George  Bliss,  Hoclijah  Baylies, 
Joshua  Thomas,  from  Massachusetts,  and  others  of 
equal  ability  and  the  same  stern  patriotism  from 
other  New  England  States,  even  we  youth  of  the 
day  felt  somewhat  the  wisdom,  uprightness,  and 
purity  of  the  purposes  of  that  convention,  which 
father  and  grandfather  daily  commended  in  our 
earnest  ears. 

In  1814  Mr.  Otis  was  appointed  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Massachusetts,  and  held 
that  office  until  1818,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 


JOHN      LOVELL. 


FIRST    LATIN     SCHOOL,     SCHOOL  , LAN t. ,  ,    , 


OTIS    FAMILY.  35 

United  States  Senate;  and  he  continued  in  that 
body  until  1823.  That  year  he  was  opposed  to 
William  Eustis  as  candidate  for  governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. Eustis  had  won  fame  as  a  surgeon  in 
the  Revolution,  and  in  subsequent  civil  capacities. 
Otis  was  strongly  opposed,  among  other  things,  for 
his  theological  views,  being  an  avowed  Unitarian  ; 
while  Eustis  was  of  the  Orthodox  faith,  and  widely 
supported  by  that  denomination,  which  gave  him 
success  at  the  polls.  Mr.  Otis,  on  meeting  him  in 
the  street  the  next  day,  after  the  result  was  known, 
said  to  him,  "  I  have  no  doubt  you  believe  now  in 
the  doctrine  of  election."  I  recall  the  figure  and 
face  of  Mr.  Eustis  at  the  age  of  seventy-two, 
grave  and  bowed  with  years,  and  that  his  clubbed, 
white  hair  gave  him  a  venerable  appearance. 

In  the  election  of  governor,  1823,  Otis  was  de- 
feated by  Eustis;  but,  like  many  wise  men  in  similar 
situations,  he  remarked  long  afterward  :  "  My  fail- 
ure in  this  contest  was  a  mortification  and  a  severe 
disappointment  to  me  at  the  time,  but  I  look  back 
upon  it  now  without  regret.  I  regard  it  as  the 
most  fortunate  event  of  my  life.  I  have  been  a 
happier  and  better  man,  since  I  was  thrown  out  of 
political  life,  than  I  should  ever  have  been  had  I 
remained  in  it." 

I  have  spoken  of  the  pleasant  relations  between 
Mr.  Otis  and  Mr.  Josiah  Quincy.  These  continued 
throughout  their  lives.  When  Mr.  Otis,  as  mayor, 
was  inspecting  the  excavation  of  earth  where  the 
gravestones  of  William  Paddy  and  human  bones 


36  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

were  discovered,  Mr.  Quincy,  standing  by,  said  to 
Mr.  Otis :  "  In  the  whole  of  my  administration  I 
have  never  been  accused  of  disturbing  the  bones  of 
my  ancestors  ;  "  to  which  Mr.  Otis,  complimenting 
Mr.  Quincy  for  his  great  energy  of  character,  re- 
plied with  a  smile :  "  Why,  Mr.  Quincy,  I  always 
supposed  you  never  made  any  bones  of  doing 
anything." 

In  1829  Mr.  Otis  became  Mayor  of  Boston,  and 
held  that  office  until  1832,  when  he  retired  from 
public  life,  although  he  occasionally  took  part  in 
meetings  to  consider  subjects  of  general  interest. 

When,  in  1834,  the  Catholic  convent  at  Charles- 
town  was  burned  by  a  mob,  and  the  outrage  brought 
the  citizens  of  Boston  to  a  meeting  at  Faneuil  Hall 
to  express  their  indignation,  I  rejoiced  to  hear  the 
voice  of  the  "  old  man  eloquent,"  Harrison  Gray 
Otis,  with  that  of  Josiah  Quincy,  and  other  just  and 
good  men,  advocate  a  remuneration  for  those  hap- 
less women  and  children  who  were  driven  by  the 
fury  and  the  flames  from  their  home  at  midnight. 
The  conduct  of  Bishop  Fenwick  in  restraining 
his  people  from  violence,  the  bold  and  Christian 
stand  in  behalf  of  the  Irish  Catholics  taken  by 
Father  Taylor  in  a  public  address  at  that  time,  the 
earnest  efforts  of  Chief  Justice  Shaw  and  of  the 
Governor  of  the  State  to  bring  the  offenders  to 
justice,  all  combined  to  make  those  days  memora- 
ble to  all  of  us  who  would  not  only  advocate  but 
practise  the  religion  of  charity  to  every  sect,  party, 
and  people  in  our  own  and  in  every  land. 


OTIS    FAMILY.  37 

Never  losing  his  interest  in  public  measures,  in 
1839  Mr.  Otis  headed  a  petition  for  the  repeal  of 
the  famous  "  fifteen-gallon  law,"  believing  it  un- 
friendly to  the  true  interests  of  temperance.  His 
old  profession  retained  its  hold  upon  his  love 
to  the  end.  At  a  late  period  of  his  life  he  con- 
sented to  argue  a  case  in  court,  when  he  was 
overheard  by  a  friend  of  mine  to  say,  "  I  thought 
I  would  come  once  more  to  the  bar,  and  see  if  I 
had  any  of  my  old  tact  left." 

On  the  eighth  day  of  September,  1836,  the 
Alumni  of  Harvard  College  assembled  in  Cam- 
bridge to  commemorate  the  two-hundredth  anniver- 
sary of  the  establishment  of  that  institution.  The 
authorities  of  the  college  fittingly  invited  Harrison 
Gray  Otis,  one  of  the  oldest  living  graduates  of 
the  college,  to  preside  at  the  dinner  on  that  occa- 
sion. To  all  of  us  who  had  listened  to  that 
eloquent  orator,  —  of  whom  it  was  not,  perhaps, 
too  much  to  say  that  he  was  never  surpassed  in 
power  of  language  and  graceful  utterance  by  any 
scholar  and  statesman  of  his  native  State,  except- 
ing his  noble  kinsman,  James  Otis,  and  perhaps 
the  accomplished  Fisher  Ames,  and  him  who 
stood  that  day  at  Harvard  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Otis, 
—  it  was  a  sad  disappointment  that  a  heavy  domes- 
tic bereavement  prevented  his  presence  with  us 
at  that  time.  It  required  a  substitute  no  less 
cultured  and  fascinating  than  Edward  Everett  to 
satisfy  our  high  expectations. 

Happily  for  us  who  knew  Mr.  Otis,  yielding  to 


38  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  request  of  his  old  friend  President  Quincy,  who 
gave  the  Anniversary  Address  at  that  time,  he  per- 
mitted his  remarks,  intended  for  the  table,  to 
appear  in  the  record  of  the  proceedings  of  that 
occasion,  published  in  Mr.  Quincy 's  invaluable 
"  History  of  Harvard  College."  Mr.  Otis,  after 
speaking  of  the  prospects  of  the  country  with  a 
fervent  patriotism,  closes  by  referring  to  the  indis- 
pensable need  of  the  education  of  the  mass  of  the 
people,  and  a  due  preparation  of  men  in  the 
universities  and  colleges,  to  enlighten  and  guide 
public  opinion,  and  help  in  preserving  the  moral 
purity  of  the  nation.  "  Let  us,"  he  says,  "  culti- 
vate and  adhere  to  the  principles  taught  here,  and 
not  trust  to  the  promises  of  the  conductors  on  the 
modern  intellectual  railroad,  to  grade  and  level  the 
hills  of  science  and  take  us  along  at  rates  that  will 
turn  our  heads  and  break  our  bones.  Let  us  es- 
chew the  vagaries  and  notions  of  the  new  schools, 
and  let  each  of  us,  reminded  of  a  quotation  which 
Burke  did  not  think  unworthy  of  him,  be  ready  to 
say: 

'  What  though  the  flattering  tapster  Thomas 
Hangs  his  new  Angel  two  doors  from  us, 
As  fine  as  painter's  daub  can  make  it, 
Thinking  some  traveller  may  mistake  it  ? 
I  hold  it  both  a  shame  and  sin 
To  quit  the  good  old  Angel  1111].'  " 

Mr.  Otis  then  gave  the  following  toast :  "  Harvard 
College, — '  the  good  old  Angel  Inn,'  where  the  intel- 
lectual fare  is  served  up  in  the  old  family  plate, 
from  which  our  ancestors  and  ourselves  have  been 
regaled  for  the  last  two  hundred  years." 


OTIS    FAMILY.  39 

Among  the  patriotic  deeds  of  this  family  should 
be  named  the  generous  public  services  of  Mrs. 
Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Jr.,  to  whose  influence  we  owe 
it  that  the  birthday  of  Washington  was  made  in 
Massachusetts  a  legal  holiday. 

William  Foster  Otis,  son  of  Harrison  Gray 
and  Sally  (Foster)  Otis,  was  born  in  Boston,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1801 ;  entered  the  Latin  School  in  1813;  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College,  1821.  He  read  law 
with  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Jr.,  a  brother,  and  Au- 
gustus Peabody,  and  became  a  counsellor-at-law. 
He  married  Emily,  daughter  of  Josiah  Marshall, 
Esq.,  a  selectman  of  Boston,  May  18,  1831 ;  she 
died  August  17,  1836,  aged  29. 

Mr.  Otis  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Hon- 
orable Artillery  Company  in  1828 ;  a  major  in  the 
Boston  Regiment,  a  judge-advocate,  a  representa- 
tive to  the  State  Legislature,  and  President  of  the 
Young  Men's  Temperance  Society.  At  a  public 
Festival  in  Faneuil  Hall  he  gave  an  oration  before 
the  Young  Men's  Association  of  Boston,  after  the 
delivery  of  which,  at  the  dinner,  the  following  sen- 
timent was  given  :  "  The  Orator  of  the  Day,  rich 
in  the  hereditary  possession  of  the  virtues  and 
talents  of  his  ancestor,  —  far  richer  in  possessing 
the  hearts  of  the  present  generation."  I  do  not 
think  this  compliment  was  undeserved ;  for,  after- 
hearing  the  father  repeatedly,  1  can  testify  that  a 
large  portion  of  his  oratorical  gifts  descended  upon 
his  son.  He  had  not  the  personal  beauty  and  grace 
of  that  rare  man ;  but  he  had  a  strong  face,  a  dark 


40  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  piercing  eye,  and  great  energy  and  decision  of 
manner.  He  was  at  one  time  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature, and  while  he  was  there  I  heard  from  him 
an  eloquent  speech  on  a  very  important  financial 
measure,  to  relieve  the  pecuniary  distress  of  the 
hard  times  of  that  period.  Various  propositions 
were  brought  forward  for  that  purpose.  Mr.  Otis 
spoke  of  the  urgency  of  the  situation,  and  employed 
in  his  argument,  as  I  remember,  a  very  striking 
illustration.  "  While  we  sit  here,"  said  he,  "  with 
our  multiplying  schemes  to  aid  the  community  in 
their  suffering,  I  am  reminded  of  a  case  in  which 
two  surgeons,  called  to  perform  a  critical  operation, 
stood  over  the  patient,  after  the  amputation,  dis- 
cussing the  best  method  of  tying  up  certain  arter- 
ies, while,  in  the  heat  of  their  talk,  the  subject 
in  their  hands  was  fast  bleeding  to  death." 

A  passage  from  the  oration  to  the  young  men  is 
so  pertinent  to  our  own  day  that  I  cannot  forbear  to 
cite  a  part  of  it :  "  We  are  asked,  upon  what  is  our 
reliance  in  times  of  excitement, —  what  compensa- 
tion for  human  infirmities,  what  substitutes  for 
bayonets,  dragoons,  and  aristocracy  ?  I  answer  :  The 
religion  and  morality  of  the  people.  Not  the 
religion  of  the  state  ;  not  the  morality  of  the  fash- 
ionable. Our  trust,  our  only  trust,  is  where  it 
ought  to  be,  —  the  religion  and  morality  of  the 
whole  people." 

Referring  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Otis,  I  cannot 
forbear  speaking  of  his  companion,  that  celebrated 
Boston  beauty,  "the  observed  of  all  observers,"  Miss 


OTIS    FAMILY.  41 

Emily  Marshall,  whom  I  could  never  meet  in 
society,  or  elsewhere,  without  a  fixed  admiration. 
With  a  manner  immediately  fascinating,  and  a  face 
blending  the  charms  of  the  red  and  white  roses, 
she  had  an  eye  full  and  lustrous,  a  mouth  of  rarest 
chiselling,  opened  only  to  disclose  teeth  of  perfect 
evenness  and  color.  Her  smile  had  a  sweetness 
which  was  in  accord  with  the  expression  of  every 
other  feature  ;  her  voice  was  the  appropriate  instru- 
ment of  a  rich  soul ;  her  whole  bearing  was  accom- 
panied by  a  simplicity  never  betraying  the  least 
consciousness  of  her  beauty.  This  rare  lady,  the 
companion  of  Mr.  Otis,  was  called  away,  alas,  in  the 
very  prime  of  a  life  pervaded,  as  those  nearest  her 
testified,  with  all  that  is  pure,  gentle,  kind,  and 
winning.  We  were  not  surprised  that  the  stricken 
survivor  soon  followed  her  to  their  upper  and  en- 
during home. 

In  looking  upon  family  faces  and  portraits  we 
often  trace  striking  resemblances  in  personal 
beauty  or  strength.  Both  the  husband  and  wife 
just  named  illustrated  this  truth.  If  grace  and 
loveliness  of  expression  were  transmitted  on  the  side 
of  the  wife's  mother,  there  were  traits  to  be  traced 
back  to  that  of  the  father.  The  portrait  of  Colonel 
James  Otis,  born  in  1702,  gives  us  one  of  the  rarest 
combinations  of  strength  and  beauty.  To  a  manly 
and  noble  figure  he  united  a  face  beaming  with 
intelligence  ;  self-devotion  was  written  in  every 
lineament,  broad-heartedness  was  joined  with  an 
energy  of  character,  fitting  him  for  the  work  he  so 


42  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

well  performed  for  his  age.  One  can  see,  in  the 
outspeaking  countenance,  why  he  was,  as  history 
records,  u  a  very  popular  man,"  and  can  only  wish 
to  have  had  a  place  in  that  company  who  voted 
to  "  carry  their  address  in  person,"  testifying  the 
enthusiasm  and  veneration  they  felt  for  his  gener- 
ous services  to  the  country. 

And  nothing  else  can  we  say  of  his  son,  "  James, 
the  Patriot."  When  we  fix  our  gaze  on  that 
remarkable  figure  of  him  on  canvas  in  Faneuil 
Hall,  we  are  carried  back  to  the  days  in  which  he 
lived.  We  are  kindled  by  the  bold,  terse,  and  con- 
vincing argument  and  remonstrances  with  Great 
Britain,  placed  on  record* by  his  pen.  We  can  see 
in  him  the  embodiment  which  Cicero  gives  of 
"  The  Orator,1'  in  whom  not  the  voice  only,  but 
the  eye,  the  hand,  the  whole  man,  are  instinct  with 
power.  Webster  comes  before  us  with  his  inspiring 
description  of  true  eloquence  ;  the  portrait  stands 
out  from  the  canvas,  a  living  form,  and  we  are 
ready  to  join  in  the  loud  and  universal  applause. 

James,  oldest  son  of  Colonel  James  Otis  of  Barn- 
stable, and  in  the  fifth  generation  from  John  Otis 
of  England,  was  born  in  West  Barnstable,  Febru- 
ary 5,  1725.  He  was  prepared  for  college  by 
Rev.  Jonathan  Russell  of  West  Barnstable,  and  en- 
tered Harvard  College,  in  June  1739.  In  his  junior 
year  he  began  to  show  great  talent  and  power  of 
application.  He  took  his  first -degree  in  1743,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen,  and  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  three   vears  afterward.      He  devoted   his  col- 


OTIS    FAMILY. 


43 


We  vacations  to  books,  and  was  little  known 
near  his  father's  home.  Although  grave  and  ab- 
stracted in  his  turn  of  mind,  he  would  at  times 
manifest  that  keen  wit  which  marked  his  subse- 
quent character.  After  leaving  college  he  spent 
a  year  and  a  half  in  general  reading  and  culture, 
and  regretted  afterward  that  he  had  not  devoted 
more  time  to  such  literature  before  he  entered 
upon  his  professional  studies.  He  advised  every 
law  student  to  prepare  himself  for  such  study  by 
a  general  acquaintance  with  other  arts  and  sciences 
than  those  pertaining  directly  to  the  law.  Mr. 
Otis  began  the  study  of  law  in  1745,  with  Jere- 
miah Gridley,  one  of  the  first  lawyers  and  civilians 
of  his  time.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Plymouth  in  1748,  and,  after  two  years 
residence  in  that  town,  removed  to  Boston.  His 
business  soon  became  extensive,  and  he  earned  a 
reputation  for  learning,  wit,  eloquence,  and  strict 
integrity.  He  kept  up  his  classical  knowledge, 
and  thought  little  of  those  who  could  only  quote 
the  English  poets.  To  a  young  friend  he  re- 
marked :  "  These  lads  are  fond  of  talking  about 
poetry  and  repeating  passages  of  it ;  but  do  you 
take  care  that  you  don't  give  in  to  this  folly.  If 
you  want  to  read  poetry,  read  Shakespeare,  Mil- 
ton, Dryden,  and  Pope,  and  throw  all  the  rest 
into  the  fire." 

Mr.  Otis  partook  of  the  filial  respect  common 
in  his  time,  but  in  this  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,   threatening    to    become    quite    obsolete. 


44  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

"  Honored  Sir  "  may  seem  to  us  rather  stiff  and 
formal,  and  we  do  well  to  substitute  our  ordinary 
address,  "  My  dear  Father ; "  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  obedience  to  parents,  so  conspicuous 
in  the  youth  of  Mr.  Otis,  is  not  to  vanish  with 
our  age. 

In  1755  James  Otis  married  Ruth  Cunningham, 
who  died  November  15,  1789,  aged  sixty  years. 
Their  children  were  :  (1)  James,  born  1755,  a  very 
bright  boy,  a  midshipman  in  the  Revolution,  who 
died,  it  is  said,  on  board  the  Jersey  Prison  Ship  in 
1777,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-one  years.  (2) 
Elizabeth,  who  married  a  Captain  Brown  of  the 
English  army,  previously  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  with  whom  she  resided  abroad, 
making  only  a  short  visit  to  this  country  in  1792. 
She  was  living,  a  widow,  in  England,  1821.  Her 
marriage  offended  her  father,  and  he  left  her  in 
his  will  but  five  shillings.  (3)  Mary,  who  was 
born  in  1764,  and  married  Benjamin  Lincoln,  son 
of  General  Lincoln,  who  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1777.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  great 
promise,  but  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight. 
His  widow,  a  lady  of  excellent  talents  and  very 
agreeable  character,  who  had  married  Rev.  Henry 
Ware,  Professor  in  Harvard  College,  died  suddenly 
at  Cambridge  in  1807.  Benjamin  Lincoln  had 
two  sons,  Benjamin,  a  physician,  and  James  Otis, 
a  lawyer,  both  of  whom  died  in  early  life, —  Ben- 
jamin in  August,  1813,  and  James  Otis  in  August, 
1818,  the  latter  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children. 


OTIS    FAMILY.  45 

In  1761  James  Otis  pleaded  with  great  power 
against  the  Writs  of  Assistance  which  the  custom- 
house  officers  had  sought  from  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  Of  this  speech  John  Adams  said  : 
?  Otis  was  a  flame  of  fire ;  with  a  depth  of  re- 
search, and  a  rapid  torrent  of  impetuous  eloquence, 
he  hurried,  away  all  before  him.  American  Inde- 
pendence was  then  and  there  born."  He  was  at 
this  time  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature,  where  he  had  a  commanding  in- 
fluence by  the  power  of  his  reasoning,  his  large 
intellectual  resources,  his  wit  and  eloquent  man- 
ner. Of  a  fearless  temper,  he  signed  a  remon- 
strance against  the  aggressions  of  the  parent 
country. 

His  letter  to  Mauduit,  agent  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Assembly  in  London,  dated  June  13, 
1764,  in  reply  to  a  proposition  of  Great  Britain 
for  compromise,  says,  with  his  accustomed  insight 
and  sarcasm :  "  The  kind  offer  of  suspending  the 
stamp  duty  amounts  to  no  more  than  this,  that 
if  the  Colonies  will  not  tax  themselves  as  they 
may  be  directed,  the  Parliament  will  tax  them." 

He  was  a  member  of  the  "  Stamp  Act  Congress  " 
held  at  New  York  in  1765,  in  which  year  his 
"  Rights  of  the  Colonies  Vindicated  "  was  repub- 
lished in  London,  for  which  he  was  threatened 
with  an  arrest.  With  a  patriotic  spirit  he  re- 
signed, in  1767,  his  office  of  Judge  Advocate, 
which  he  had  held  six  years. 

August  14,  1768,  the  principal  men  of  Boston 


46  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

met  at  Liberty  Hall  to  celebrate  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act ;  they  had  a  band  of  music,  and  the 
much  admired  American  Liberty  Song  was  enthusi- 
astically sung.  This  song  had  just  been  received 
by  James  Otis  from  its  author,  John  Dickinson. 
It  was  first  printed  July  4,  1768  ;  and  is  the  earli- 
est of  the  Revolutionary  lyrics,  advocating  inde- 
pendence and  union.  It  was  sung  to  the  tune 
"  Hearts  of  Oak."  A  few  stanzas  of  it  are  con- 
tained in  Drake's  Revolutionary  History. 

In  1769  Mr.  Otis,  finding  the  Commissioners  of 
Customs  had  sent  to  England  charges  of  treason 
against  him,  denounced  them  most  bitterly  in  the 
"Boston  Gazette."  He  met  one  of  these  commis- 
sioners, the  next  evening  in  a  public  room,  where 
he  was  assaulted  by  a  band  of  ruffians  and  covered 
with  wounds,  having  a  sword-cut  in  the  head. 
Although  this  attack  was  not  fatal,  and  in  a  lucid 
interval  he  forgave  those  who  had  assaulted  him, 
and  relinquished  the  five  thousand  pounds  sterling 
which  had  been  awarded  him,  his  reason  was 
shaken,  his  usefulness  at  an  end,  and  he  lived  men- 
tally in  ruins  for  several  years. 

He  saw  that  event  towards  which  his  efforts  had 
primarily  contributed,  but  could  not  fully  enjoy  it, 
the  Independence  of  America.  In  a  lucid  inter- 
val he  went  from  Andover  to  Boston  and  resumed 
the  practice  of  law,  but  soon  returned  to  the 
country.  In  1770  he  retired  to  reside  perma- 
nently in  the  country,  but  was  the  next  year 
chosen  Representative.     Nearly  all  the  remainder 


OTIS    FAMILY.  47 

of  his  life  he  was  insane.  On  the  23d  of  May, 
1783,  as  he  was  leaning  on  his  cane  at  the  door  of 
a  friend's  home  in  Andover,  he  was  struck  by  a 
thunderbolt  and  instantly  killed.  President  Ad- 
ams, then  Minister  in  France,  wrote  of  him:  "  It 
was  with  very  afflicting  sentiments  I  learned  the 
death  of  Mr.  Otis,  my  worthy  master.  Extra- 
ordinary in  death  as  in  life,  he  has  left  a  character 
that  will  never  die  while  the  memory  of  the 
American  Eevolution  remains,  whose  foundation  he 
laid  with  an  energy  and  with  those  masterly  abili- 
ties which  no  other  man  possessed." 

While  in  the  prime  of  his  vigor  he  published 
several  volumes:  in  1760,  "Rudiments  of  Latin 
Prosody,"  and  also  a  "Dissertation  on  Letters,  and 
the  Principles  of  Harmony  in  Poetic  and  Prose 
Compositions;"  in  1762,  "A  Vindication  of  the 
Conduct  of  the  House  of  Massachusetts  Represent- 
atives ;  "  in  1764,  •<  The  Rights  of  the  British  Col- 
onies Asserted  ;  "  and  in  1765,  "  Considerations 
on  behalf  of  the  Colonists."  He  was  of  an  irri- 
table temper,  but  easily  conciliated,  although  his 
course  often  appeared  inconsistent,  in  consequence 
of  this  infirmity. 


CHAPTER   III. 

ADAMS      FAMILY. 

The  field  opened  to  our  minds  by  the  mention 
of  this  name  is  extensive.  To  the  historian  of 
America,  it  is  large  ;  to  the  biographer,  still  wider. 
It  is  with  diffidence  that  I  enter  upon  it  in  any 
form.  The  plan  of  this  wrork  restrains  me  to  what 
seems  narrow  and  meagre,  compared  with  the 
abundant  and  rich  materials  of  the  subject.  My 
personal  recollections  of  this  illustrious  family  per- 
tain mainly  to  one  member  of  it,  Jonis"  Quincy 
Adams. 

And  yet  I  must  refer  briefly  to  two  other  rela- 
tives of  his  —  one  his  distinguished  father.  A 
classmate  and  warm  friend  of  mine,  George  Whit- 
ney, a  native  of  Quincy,  and  afterward  minister 
of  the  Unitarian  Church  at  Jamaica  Plain,  often 
spoke  to  me,  while  in  college,  of  the  then  aged 
and  venerated  John  Adams.  Their  conversations 
led  him  to  relate  many  anecdotes  concerning  this 
patriarch.  He  once  told  my  classmate  that  he  had 
kept  a  journal  through  nearly  his  whole  life.  He 
began  it  when  he  was  but  ten  years  old.  Look- 
ing over    one   day  the    first  two   volumes,   they 


ADAMS   OPPOSING   THE    STAMP   ACT   FROM   THE   OLD    STATE   HOUSE. 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  49 

seemed  to  him  so  small,  their  contents  so  childish, 
and  the  occurrences  related  in  such  a  simple  and 
poor  way,  that  he  "  shut  them  up  in  disgust,  and 
committed  them  to  the  flames."  "  But,"  said  he, 
"I  have  again  and  again  been  sorry  for  it,  and 
have  often  felt,  as  I  do  now,  that  I  would  give  the 
best  farm  I  ever  owned  if  I  could  once  more  see  and 
possess  them."  Who  of  us  all  has  not,  in  some 
hasty  moment,  destroyed  papers,  perhaps  the  let- 
ters of  dear  friends,  or  some  other  memento  of 
the  past,  for  the  restoration  of  which  no  price 
would  seem  too  great  ? 

Too  much  credit  can  hardly  be  given  to  John 
Adams  for  his  spirit  and  energy  in  fostering  the 
temper  of  the  Eevolution.  The  refugees,  whether 
we  call  them  Tories,  or  by  the  milder  name  of 
Loyalists,  dreaded  Mr.  Adams's  influence  prob- 
ably more  than  that  of  any  other  one  man  in 
America.  Chief  Justice .  Oliver,  himself  rewarded 
for  his  flight  to  England,  by  royal  favor  and  pro- 
motion, pronounced  John  Adams  u  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  men  to  British  domination  in 
America." 

The  perpetual  absorption  of  Mr.  Adams  in  our 
cause  justified  this  remark.  On  one  occasion 
while  he  was  minister  at  the  Hague,  after  dinner, 
he  was  observed  in  an  abstract  frame  of  mind, 
when  suddenly  raising  his  head,  his  face  bright- 
ening with  thought,  he  exclaimed  to  one  sitting 
at  his  side :  "  Yes,  it  must  be  so ;  twelve  sail  of 
the  line  supported  by  a  proportion  of  frigates. 


50  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

When  America,  my  friend,  shall  possess  such  a 
fleet  she  may  bid  defiance,  upon  her  own  coast, 
to  any  naval  power  of  Europe."  This  anecdote 
illustrates  what  a  place  his  country  had  in  the 
depths  of  his  heart  in  those  dark  and  distressing- 
days.  We  may  smile  at  the  small  defence  it 
promised  to  our  naval  protection ;  but  it  is  al- 
most enough  to  draw  tears,  when  we  think  of  the 
picture  it  exhibits  of  the  poverty  and  straits  and 
sacrifices  of  our  people  at  that  gloomy  period. 

It  was  John  Adams  who  said,  early  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary struggle,  what  brought  our  needs  into 
a  photograph:  "There  are  four  pillars  essential 
to  a  republic,  Church,  School,  Trainband,  and 
Town."  He*  should  have  added,  in  our  case,  a 
fifth,  —  Navy.  The  schools,  —  even  in  the  day  of 
John  Adams,  —  had  done  a  great  work  for  our 
people.  They  were,  in  one  respect,  miserably 
poor ;  but  in  another,  in  the  intelligence  and  de- 
termination of  their  character,  they  had  an  inex- 
haustible wealth. 

The  ignorance  of  the  mass  of  the  English  in 
regard  to  America  and  the  character  of  its  inhabi- 
tants, at  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  is  almost  in- 
credible. A  traveller,  riding  in  a  London  coach, 
overheard  two  ladies  talking  on  this  wise.  "  I 
have  seen,"  said  one  of  them,  "  a  wonderful  sight 
—  a  little  girl  born  in  a  place  called  Boston,  in 
North  America ;  and  what  is  very  astonishing,  I 
pledge  you  my  word  it  is  true,  she  speaks  Eng- 
lish as  well  as  any  child  in  England  ;  and,  besides, 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  51 

she  is  perfectly  white."  "Is  it  possible?"  ex- 
claimed the  other,  astonished  at  the  statement. 
"  Many  of  the  people  of  England  suppose  us,"  says 
the  narrator,  "  to  be  a  nation  of  Indians,  negroes, 
or  mixed  blood."  This  account  of  the  English 
ignorance  of  our  people  is  matched  by  a  fact  re- 
lated by  Professor  Andrews  Norton,  while  I  was 
in  the  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  in  1826.  Being 
in  Exeter  Hall  at  a  public  meeting  that  year,  he 
saw  on  the  platform  a  colored  man,  who  was  in- 
troduced to  the  audience  as  an  American.  "There," 
said  a  well-dressed  lady  to  a  companion  at  her  side, 
"I  have  always  told  you  the  Americans  were 
negroes."  And  so  late  as  1843  I  met  in  a  coach, 
among  the  English  lakes,  an  intelligent  man,  an 
innkeeper,  who,  as  he  sat  by  my  side,  on  learning 
from  me  that  I  came  from  the  United  States  of 
America,  replied  :  "  The  United  States  —  that  is 
in  Canada,  is  'nt  it  ?  "  But,  I  suspect,  since  the 
late  Civil  War,  the  English  nation,  even  the  com- 
mon people,  have  ascertained  that  we  are  not  all 
either  negroes  or  Indians. 

Who  of  us  that  lived  at  that  time  can  ever  for- 
get the  sensations  occasioned  by  the  event  that  took 
John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson  from  this  world 
on  the  very  same  day,  — and  that  day,  too,  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  our  National  Jubilee  ?  On 
that  occasion,  July  4,  1826,  my  classmate  Rev. 
George  Whitney  was  appointed  to  give  an  oration 
in  Quincy.  Preparatory  to  that  celebration  Mr. 
Whitney  was  deputed  to   visit   Mr.  Adams    and 


52  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ask  him  for  a  sentiment  to  be  offered  at  the  dinner. 
He  did  so.  On  the  30th  of  June  he  called  at  the 
house  of  the  veteran,  then  very  feeble,  and  on  Mr. 
Adams  being  requested  to  furnish  a  sentiment,  "  I 
will  give  you,"  said  he,  "  Independence  Forever." 
He  was  asked  "  if  he  would  add  anything  to  it," 
his  reply  was,  "  Not  a  word."  And  it  was  well  he 
did  not.  For,  as  his  grandson,  Hon.  Charles 
Francis  Adams,  says,  in  his  graphic  account  of 
this  scene :  "  In  that  brief  sentiment  Mr.  Adams 
infused  the  essence  of  his  whole  character,  and  of 
his  life-long  labors  for  his  country." 

To  have  been  the  contemporary  of  Adams  and 
Jefferson,  and  to  have  heard  Daniel  Webster's 
discourse,  August  2,  1826,  in  Faneuil  Hall,  in 
commemoration  of  their  lives  and  services,  was  a 
privilege  for  which  I  have  never  ceased  to  be 
grateful. 

John  Quincy  Adams,  born  July  12,  1767,  in- 
herited many  qualities  from  his  father.  Both  had 
an  intelligent  countenance,  expressing  moral  cour- 
age ;  both  were  endowed  with  a  strong  physical 
constitution,  had  a  firm  and  dignified  walk,  and 
took  remarkable  care  of  their  health.  They  rose 
early,  and  had  habits  of  indefatigable  industry. 
John  Quincy  Adams  rose  in  the  summer  at  4 
o'clock ;  and,  when  President  of  the  United  States, 
he  bathed  in  the  Potomac  Kiver,  walked  after  it 
several  miles,  and  continued  the  practice  for  years 
of  translating  a  few  verses  in  the  Hebrew  Bible 
before  breakfast.     Like  his  father,  he  was  always 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  06 

temperate.  I  noticed,  in  dining  at  his  table,  that 
he  took  two  glasses  of  wine,  and  have  been  told 
that  this  was  his  daily  practice,  and  never  exceeded. 

During  his  presidency,  my  classmate  Whitney 
was  ordained ;  and  Mr.  Adams  was  present  and  sat 
on  the  Council,  as  a  delegate  from  the  church  in 
Quincy.  His  dress  was  plain  but  neat.  He  was 
of  middling  stature,  of  a  full  bodily  habit ;  his 
eyes  were  dark  and  penetrating,  and,  when  not  con- 
versing, they  were  usually  downcast  and  fixed. 
Being  introduced  to  him,  I  inquired  of  him  in  re- 
gard to  the  Unitarian  Society  in  Washington,  at 
which  I  had  heard  he  was  a  constant  attendant. 
He  spoke  very  kindly  of  Rev.  Cazneau  Palfrey,  who 
was  then  its  pastor.  "  I  go  there  to  church,"  he 
continued, "  although  I  am  not  decided  in  my  mind 
as  to  all  the  controverted  doctrines  of  religion." 

Mr.  Adams  expressed  this  same  view  when, 
several  years  afterward,  I  met  him  on  the  occasion 
of  an  exchange  with  the  minister  at  Quincy,  at 
which  time  he  invited  me  to  dine  with  him.  The 
subject  of  my  sermon  was  the  Indestructibleness  of 
Christianity.  On  our  way  to  his  house  he  said  :  "  I 
agree  entirely  with  the  ground  you  took  in  your 
discourse.  You  did  not  speak  of  any  particular 
class  of  doctrines  that  were  everlasting,  but  of  the 
great,  fundamental  principles  in  which  all  Christians 
agree ;  and  those  I  think  are  what  will  be  perma- 
nent." I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  was  Mr. 
Adams's  position  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
truly  liberal  Christian,  not  in  the  sense  of  holding 


54  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

to  liberty  as  an  end,  but  as  a  means,  its  value  de- 
pending wholly  on  the  use  made  of  it.  This  did 
not  make  him  a  sectarian  ;  to  that  he  was  earnestly 
opposed.  Still  less  did  it  leave  him  in  a  state  of 
intellectual  or  spiritual  indifference. 

It  is  interesting  to  know  the  church-going  habits 
of  the  venerable  Adams  family,  who  owned,  it 
seems,  pew  number  one  in  the  old  church  edifice 
until  it  was  taken  down  in  1828.  Then  the  owner 
was  President  John  Quincy  Adams.  The  former 
owner,  President  John  Adams,  died  July  4,  1826, 
in  his  ninety-first  year.  He  was  never  absent  from 
church,  forenoon  or  afternoon,  when  in  Quincy. 
His  son,  the  President,  was  as  punctual  at  church. 
He  had  by  nature,  inherited  probably  from  both 
parents,  a  religious  disposition.  I  have  it  on  good 
authority,  that  of  his  personal  statement  to  another, 
that  he  continued  through  life  to  repeat,  before 
closing  his  eyes  for  the  night,  the  comprehensive 
verse  taught  him  in  childhood  by  his  mother,  taken 
from  the  New  England  Primer:  — 

"  Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  keep  ; 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  pray  the  Lord  my  soul  to  take." 

I  was  interested  by  meeting  at  Mr.  Adams's  table 
a  man  whom  I  was  told  he  often  invited  to  his 
house,  and  who  was  celebrated  in  Boston  business 
circles,  P.  P.  F.  Degrand.  Mr.  Degrand  had  during 
his  life  edited  a  commercial  paper  some  ten  years, 
had  been  a  stock  and  exchange  broker  for  twenty 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  55 

years,  and  died  leaving  some  $100,000,  to  be  given 
by  his  will  chiefly  to  benevolent  objects.  He  was 
more  of  a  Protestant  than  his  countrymen,  the 
French,  usually  were  at  that  time.  Being  asked 
one  day  what  meeting  he  attended, — "  Meeting  ? 
Oh  yes,"  he  replied,  "  Mrs.  Pierce  goes  to  Brattle 
Street."  She  was  the  landlady  who  provided  for 
his  temporal  wants,  and  he  probably  thought  it  was 
her  duty  to  supply  the  spiritual  wants  of  her 
boarders,  so  far  as  they  felt  the  need  of  it.  This 
was  quite  convenient,  as  she  kept  a  boarding-house 
fronting  the  Brattle  Street  Church,  on  the  spot 
where  the  Quincy  House  now  stands.  Mr.  Degrand 
understood  the  French,  English,  Spanish,  and  Ital- 
ian languages,  and  united  to  a  French  precision  in 
business  a  Yankee  shrewdness  which  made  him 
helpful  to  his  thrifty  friend  Adams. 

The  wisdom  and  thoroughness  of  Mr.  Adams's 
education  were  tested  by  its  influence  throughout 
his  whole  life.  The  boy  had  in  his  character  those 
elements  and  traits  which  marked  the  man  in 
every  station,  duty,  and  service.  He  had,  both  by 
nature  and  domestic  education,  a  remarkable  cour- 
age in  supporting  everything  right  and  true.  He 
possessed,  as  has  been  said,  "  a  lion  heart  which 
knew  not  the  fear  of  man."  When  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  what  he  ought  to  do,  he  did  not  stop 
to  ask  what  others  would  think  of  him,  but  went 
straight  forward  and  performed  his  duty.  No 
man  had  a  higher  standard  of  conduct,  and  few 
ever  acted  up  to  their  standard  so  nobly.     He  did 


56  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

not  hold  his  good  principles  loosely,  so  that  others 
could  take  them  easily  from  him ;  but  he  grasped 
whatever  he  thought  right  with  a  firm  hand,  and 
trusted  himself  to  it  on  all  occasions.  I  do  not  say 
that  he  was  a  perfect  man  ;  he  was  human,  and  his 
judgment  might  sometimes  err  ;  but  I  do  say  that 
he  did  uniformly  what  at  the  time  he  thought  was 
right.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  feelings,  and  if 
in  the  warmth  of  the  moment  he  either  said  or  did 
what  proved  to  be  wrong,  he  was  ready  to  change 
his  position  when  convinced  of  his  error. 

He  was  from  his  boyhood  deeply  interested  in 
the  subject  of  human  freedom,  and  he  did  as  much 
perhaps  for  that  cause  in  his  way  as  any  man  that 
has  lived.  His  interest  in  the  emancipation  of  the 
enslaved  grew  deeper  and  deeper  the  longer  he 
lived.  But  a  few  months  previous  to  his  death, 
when  smitten  with  that  disease  the  repetition  of 
which  proved  fatal  to  him,  he  expressed  a  regret 
that  he  had  not  done  more  for  freedom  and 
humanity.  His  devotedness  to  this  subject  in  his 
closing  years,  the  moral  courage  he  displayed, 
and  the  dangers  he  encountered  for  it,  are  worthy 
of  all  praise  and  emulation.  The  old  tree  seemed 
to  root  itself  more  firmly,  and  to  gather  new 
strength,  as  blast  after  blast  assailed  its  majestic 
form. 

The  most  striking  trait  in  this  rare  character  was 
an  indomitable  resolution.  We  are  told  that 
Fichte,  the  great  German  philosopher,  when  but 
seven  years  of  age,  once  threw  into  the  river  a 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  57 

fascinating  book  he  was  reading,  because  he  found 
it  took  off  his  mind  from  his  studies.  We  can  im- 
agine young  Adams  doing  similar  deeds.  He 
would  allow  nothing  to  stand  between  himself  and 
his  duty  ;  he  learned  very  early  a  certain  contempt 
for  ease  and  enjoyment,  and  never  gave  way  to 
their  seductions.  As  the  coral  insect,  by  unre- 
mitted perseverance,  raises  at  last  an  island  in  the 
ocean,  so  did  he,  step  by  step,  accomplish  every 
work  to  which  he  had  once  set  his  hand.  He 
never  tampered  with  a  good  purpose,  moral  or 
intellectual ;  irresolution,  he  well  knew,  creeps  on 
its  victim  with  a  fatal  facility.  If  he  saw  that  ser- 
pent in  the  bottom  of  the  cup  before  him,  no 
earthly  consideration  could  induce  him  to  taste  its 
poison. 

What  he  would  become  afterward  was  manifest 
in  his  earliest  years.  There  was  never  an  instance 
in  which  it  was  truer  that  "  the  child  is  father  of 
the  man."  That  sun  which  shone  so  brilliantly  at 
noonday,  and  which  went  down  with  a  heavenly 
serenity  and  glory,  had  risen  from  a  dawn  full  of 
beauty  and  promise.  He  did  not,  like  most  men, 
"need  the  sting  of  guilt  to  make  him  virtu- 
ous, nor  the  smart  of  folly  to  make  him  wise."  In 
his  very  childhood  he  saw  that  there  is  nothing 
so  valuable  on  earth  as  firmness  of  purpose  and 
purity  of  heart.  For  these  he  then  and  there  re- 
solved to  live.  Wealth  and  honors  he  did  not 
despise,  but  he  never,  for  one  moment,  made  either 
of  them  the  great  object  of  his  life.     Before  he  was 


58  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ten  years  of  age,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  father 
asking  his  advice  in  regard  to  his  studies,  express- 
ing his  desire  to  "keep  his  resolution  to  improve," 
and  closing  with  these  words  :  — 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  with  a  present  determination  of  grow- 
ing better,  Yours, 

"  John  Qttincy  Adams." 

Go  back  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  went  out 
as  private  secretary  of  Francis  Dana,  minister  to 
the  government  of  Russia,  and  follow  him  to  the 
day  when  he  expired  at  the  Capitol  in  Washington, 
you  find  him  everywhere  and  always  the  same 
'person,  intellectually  and  morally,  marked  by  his 
individuality,  clear-sighted,  scholarly,  firm,  bold, 
— earnest  in  youth,  in  middle  life  a  vigorous  writer 
and  convincing  speaker,  and  to  the  very  last  "  the 
old  man  eloquent." 

I  have  spoken  of  the  mother  of  John  Quincy 
Adams.  The  life  of  this  woman  was  so  remarkable 
from  her  early  days,  especially  her  first  acquaint- 
ance with  her  future  husband,  that  I  give  a  chapter 
of  it  in  this  place.  It  may  be  somewhat  colored 
by  the  writer ;  still  the  main  facts  of  it  show  that 
full  often  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction,  and  we 
are  compelled  at  last,  in  real  life,  to  rely  upon  that 
as  veritable  which  would  at  first  view  seem  only 
romance.  I  give  this  account  the  more  readily, 
as  the  aged  and  revered  Rev.  Jacob  Norton,  suc- 
cessor of  Mr.  Smith,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  relative  by  marriage,  whom  I  visited  while  in 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  59 

college,  and  whose  wife  was  a  person  whom  to 
know  was  both  to  respect  and  love.  He  con- 
firmed the  account  here  given.  The  article  is 
entitled  "  Courtship  of  the  Elder  Adams." 

Some  ten  years  ago  I  spent  a  college  vacation  in  the 
town  of  Weymouth,  Norfolk  County,  Massachusetts. 
While  there,  I  attended  church  one  Sunday  morning  at 
what  was  called  the  Old  Weymouth  Meeting-house,  and 
heard  a  sermon  from  the  venerable  pastor,  Rev.  Jacob 
Norton.  About  the  same  time,  I  made  Mr.  Norton  a 
visit,  and  became  much  interested  in  the  old  gentleman. 
I  mentioned  my  agreeable  visits  to  an  aged  lady  of  the 
parish,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made.  She  informed 
me  that  Mr.  Norton  was  ordained  their  pastor  when  he 
was  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  that  he  had  been 
with  them  nearty  forty  years.  She  observed  that  most 
of  his  parishioners  could  remember  no  other  pastor ;  but 
that  she  could  well  remember  his  predecessor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Smith,  and  that  he  and  Mr.  Norton  had  filled  the 
same  pulpit  for  the  better  part  of  the  last  eighty  years. 

"  Mr.  Smith,"  said  she,  "  was  an  excellent  man,  and  a 
very  fine  preacher,  but  he  had  high  notions  of  himself 
and  family  ;  in  other  words,  he  was  something  of  an 
aristocrat."  My  informant  said  to  me  one  day :  "  To 
illustrate  to  you  a  little  the  character  of  old  Parson 
Smith,  I  will  tell  you  an  anecdote  that  relates  to  himself 
and  some  other  persons  of  distinction.  Mr.  Smith  had 
two  charming  daughters  —  the  eldest  of  these  daughters 
was  Mary,  the  other's  name  I  have  forgotten  —  who 
were  the  admiration  of  all  the  beaux,  and  the  envy  of 
all  the  belles  of  the  country  around.  But  while  the 
careful  guardians  of  the  parson's  family  were  holding 
consultation  on  the  subject,  it  was  rumored  that  two 


60  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

young  lawyers,  both  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Quincy, 
a  Mr.  Cranch  and  a  Mr.  Adams,  were  paying  their  ad- 
dresses to  the  Misses  Smith.  As  every  woman  and 
child  of  a  country  parish  in  New  England  is  acquainted 
with  whatever  takes  place  in  the  parson's  family,  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  courtship  soon  transpired.  Mr. 
Cranch  was  of  a  respectable  family  of  some  note,  was 
considered  a  young  man  of  promise,  and  altogether 
worthy  of  the  alliance  he  sought.  He  was  very  accepta- 
ble to  Mr.  Smith,  and  was  greeted  by  him  and  his  family 
with  great  respect  and  cordiality.  He  was  received  by 
the  oldest  daughter  as  a  lover.  He  afterwards  rose  to 
the  dignity  of  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in 
Massachusetts,  and  was  the  father  of  the  present  Hon. 
Judge  Cranch  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 

"  The  suitor  of  the  other  daughter  was  John  Adams, 
who  afterwards  became  President  of  the  United  States  ; 
but  at  that  time,  in  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Smith  and  family, 
he  gave  but  slender  promise  of  the  distinction  to  which 
he  afterwards  arrived.  His  pretensions  were  scorned 
by  all  the  family,  excepting  the  young  lady  to  whom  his 
addresses  were  especially  directed.  Mr.  Smith  showed 
him  none  of  the  ordinary  civilities  of  the  house  ;  he  was 
not  asked  to  partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  the  table ; 
and  it  is  reported  that  his  horse  was  doomed  to  share 
with  his  master  the  neglect  and  mortification  to  which 
he  was  subjected,  for  he  was  frequently  seen  shivering 
in  the  cold,  and  gnawing  the  post  at  the  pastor's  door, 
of  long  winter  evenings.  In  fine,  it  was  reported  that 
Mr.  Smith  had  intimated  to  him  that  his  visits  were  not 
acceptable,  and  he  would  do  him  a  favor  by  discontinu- 
ing them.  He  told  his  daughter  that  John  Adams  was 
not  worthy  of  her, — that  his  father  was  an  honest  trades- 
man and  farmer,  who  had  tried  to  initiate  John  in  the 
arts  of  husbandry  and  shoe-making,  but  without  success, 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  61 

and  that  he  had  sent  him  to  college  as  a  last  resort. 
He,  in  fine,  begged  his  daughter  not  to  think  of  mak- 
ing an  alliance  with  one  so  much  beneath  her. 

"  Miss  Smith  was  among  the  most  dutiful  daughters, 
but  she  saw  Mr.  Adams  through  a  medium  very  differ- 
ent from  that  through  which  her  father  viewed  him. 
She  would  not,  for  the  world,  offend  or  disobey  her 
father;  but  still  John  saw  something  in  her  eye  and 
manner  which  seemed  to  say  4  persevere,'  and  on  that 
hint  he  acted. 

t{  Mr.  Smith,  like  a  good  parson  and  an  affectionate 
father,  had  told  his  daughters,  if  they  married  with  his 
approbation,  he  would  preach  each  of  them  a  sermon  on 
the  Sabbath  after  the  joyful  occasion,  and  they  should 
have  the  privilege  of  choosing  the  text. 

"  The  espousal  of  the  eldest  daughter,  Mary,  arrived, 
and  she  was  united  to  Mr.  Cranch  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
matrimony,  with  the  approval,  the  blessing,  and  benedic- 
tions of  her  parents  and  her  friends.  Mr.  Smith  then 
said :  4  My  dutiful  child,  I  am  now  ready  to  prepare  your 
sermon ;  what  text  do  you  select  for  next  Sunday  ? ' 
1  My  dear  father,'  said  Mary,  '  I  have  selected  the 
latter  part  of  the  42d  verse  of  the  J  Oth  chapter  of 
Luke  :  "  Mary  hath  chosen  that  good  part  which  shall 
never  be  taken  from  her."  ' 

"  '  Very  good,  my  daughter,'  said  her  father,  and  so 
the  sermon  was  preached. 

"  Mr.  Adams  persevered  in  his  suit  in  defiance  of  all 
opposition.  It  was  many  years  after  and  on  a  very 
different  occasion,  and  in  a  resistance  of  very  different 
opposition,  that  he  was  supposed  to  have  uttered  those 
memorable  words,  '  sink  or  swim,  live  or  die,  survive  or 
perish,  I  give  my  heart  and  hand  to  this  measure.' 
But,  though  the  measures  were  different,  the  spirit  was 
the   same.     Besides,  he  had  already  carried  the  main 


62  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

point  of  attack,  the  heart  of  the  young  lady,  and  he 
knew  the  surrender  of  the  citadel  must  soon  follow. 
After  the  usual  hesitation  and  delay  that  attend  such 
unpleasant  affairs,  Mr.  Smith,  seeing  that  resistance  was 
fruitless,  yielded  the  contested  point  with  as  much  grace 
as  possible,  as  many  a  prudent  father  has  clone  before 
and  since  that  time,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  united  to  the 
lovely  Miss  Smith.  After  the  marriage  was  over,  and  all 
things  settled  in  quiet,  Mrs.  Adams  said  to  her  father : 
k  You  preached  Mary  a  sermon  on  the  occasion  of  her 
marriage  ;  won't  you  preach  me  one  likewise  ?  ' 

"c  Yes,  my  dear  girl,'  said  Mr.  Smith  ;  'choose  your 
text  and  you  shall  have  your  sermon?'  4  Well,'  said 
the  daughter,  1 1  have  chosen  the  33d  verse  of  the  7th 
chapter  of  Luke  ' :  "  For  John  the  Baptist  came  neither 
eating  bread  nor  drinking  wine,  and  ye  say  he  hath  a 
devil."  '  " 

•  The  old  lady,  my  informant,  looked  me  very  archly 
in  the  face  when  she  repeated  this  passage,  and  ob- 
served, "  If  Mary  was  the  most  dutiful  daughter,  I  guess 
the  other  had  the  most  wit." 

I  could  not  ascertain  whether  the  last  sermon  was 
ever  preached. 

The  integrity,  conscientiousness  and  stern  jus- 
tice of  John  Quincy  Adams  were  conspicuous  in 
every  station,  and  in  the  multiplied  and  respon- 
sible offices  he  filled.  At  the  age  of  fifty-eight 
—  the  same  with  that  of  the  first  five  Presidents 
of  the  United  States  when  they  entered  on  that 
office  —  he  was  inaugurated  as  President.  With 
no  partisan  temper,  he  selected  for  his  Cabinet 
men  of  different  political  opinions.  He  was  too 
impartial  in  all  things  to  secure  his  own  re-election 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  63 

as  the  candidate  of  his  party.  While  in  Congress 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  freedom  of  the  en- 
slaved, and,  with  more  and  more  decision  and 
moral  courage,  battled  for  the  '"Right  of  Peti- 
tion," on  the  side  of  Emancipation,  to  the  last  day 
of  his  long  career  in  the  National  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives. For  the  whole  fifty-three  years  of  his 
public  service,  faithfulness  was  his  motto ;  and 
when,  in  1836,1  saw  him  in  his  seat  in  that  House, 
where  he  was  always,  early  and  late,  at  his  post,  I 
felt  a  reverence  which  no  other  moral  hero 
of  our  whole  country  could  awaken.  The  grand- 
est historic  citizen  of  America,  it  was  a  study  to 
look  at  that  venerable  man  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  Washington,  and  think  over 
the  events  of  his  long  and  distinguished  life. 

It  was  difficult  to  realize  that  he  was  nine  years 
old  when  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
adopted;  that  he  had  gone  abroad  when  a  boy 
with  his  father,  John  Adams,  and  might  have  heard 
Chatham,  Fox,  Burke,  and  Sheridan  in  the  Brit- 
ish Parliament ;  that  he  had  seen  George  the  Third 
and  most  of  the  crowned  heads  and  eminent  states- 
men who  had  lived  in  the  preceding  fifty  years ; 
that  he  had  seen  and  conversed  with  Washington  ; 
had  been  intimate  with  Jefferson  and  Madison ; 
had  been  Secretary  of  State  to  James  Monroe  ; 
and  finally,  that  he  had  been  President  of  the 
United  States. 

On  the  day  of  his  burial  there  might  have  been 
seen   at  the  Capitol  of  this  country,  in  which  he 


64  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

died,  February  23,  1848,  a  long  funeral  train,  con- 
sisting of  many  of  the  wisest  and  ablest  men  in 
the  land,  following  to  the  tomb  'the  mortal  re- 
mains of  this  great  and  good  man.  Eloquent 
voices  had  pronounced  his  eulogy  on  the  floor  of 
Congress,  and  the  high  and  the  honored  accom- 
panied his  relics,  as  in  one  vast  procession  they 
were  borne  from  city  to  city  until  they  reached 
the  metropolis  of  New  England.  All  felt  that  a 
mighty  man  had  fallen,  and  reverently  assembled 
to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory 
of  the  dead.  And  then  with  solemn  rites  those 
relics  were  laid  in  their  final  resting-place  in  his 
native  town,  from  which  he  had  recently  departed, 
never  more  to  greet  there  those  kindred  and 
neighbors  and  friends,  among  whom  he  had  passed, 
at  intervals,  more  than  fourscore  years. 

Under  the  portico  of  the  new  church,  dedicated 
November  12,  1828,  rest  in  a  granite  tomb,  the 
remains  of  President  John  Adams  and  Abigail, 
his  wife.  The  remains  of  President  John  Quincy 
Adams  and  his  wife  are  deposited  in  the  same 
place. 

John  Quincy  Adams  was  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  continuous  spirit  of  some  of  the  best  fam- 
ilies of  the  Revolution.  Born  in  the  same  town, 
and  almost  on  the  very  spot  of  his  father's  birth, 
he  once  said  of  the  old  family  house  at  Mount 
Wollaston :  "  It  has  a  peculiar  interest  to  me  as 
the  dwelling  of  my  great-grandfather,  Quincy, 
whose  name  I  bear.     He  was  dying  when  I  was 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  65 

baptized,  and  his  daughter,  my  grandmother,  pres- 
ent at  my  birth,  requested  that  I  might  receive  his 
name.  The  fact,  recorded  by  my  father,  has  con- 
nected with  that  portion  of  my  name  a  charm  of 
mingled  sensibility  and  devotion.  It  was  the  name 
of  one  passing  from  earth  to  immortality.  These 
have  been  among  the  strongest  links  of  my  attach- 
ment to  the  name  of  Quincy,  and  have  been  to 
me  through  life  a  perpetual  admonition  to  do 
nothing  unworthy  of  it." 

The  lineage  of  this  branch  of  the  family  is  so 
exceptionally  distinguished  that  I  cannot  forbear 
to  give  a  few  outlines  of  it.  Their  American  pro- 
genitor was  Henry  Adams,  who,  in  1639,  fled  from 
oppression  in  England,  and  came  to  Mount  Wol- 
laston,  the  present  town  of  Quincy,  with  eight 
sons,  one  of  whom  returned  to  England,  four  re- 
moved to  Medfield  and  the  neighboring  towns, 
two  to  Chelmsford,  and  one  became  an  original 
proprietor  of  the  town  of  Braintree,  incorporated 
in  1639.  His  great-grandson,  John  Adams,  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  erected  a  monument 
to  Henry  Adams  and  his  descendants,  "from  a 
veneration  of  the  piety,  humility,  simplicity,  pru- 
dence, patience,  temperance,  frugality,  industry, 
and  perseverance  of  his  ancestors,  in  hope  of  re- 
commending an  imitation  of  their  virtues  to  their 
posterity;'  How  well  did  the  spirit  of  this  family 
shine  forth,  not  only  in  their  domestic  relations, 
but  still  more  brightly  in  their  noble  work  as 
American  patriots,  in  founding  and  preserving  the 
free  institutions  of  their  country. 


66  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

John  Adams,  second  President  of  the  United 
States,  born  in  Braintree,  now  Quincy,  October 
19, 1735,  married,  October  25,  1764,  Abigail  Smith, 
daughter  of  the  minister  of  Weymouth,  a  lady 
whose  intellectual  abilities,  social  virtues,  domes- 
tic worth,  and  entire  sympathy  with  her  husband 
did  much  to  enhance  the  lustre  of  his  family. 
One  of  their  children, — John  Quincy  Adams, 
named  for  his  mother's  grandfather,  John  Quincy, — 
was  born  July  11,  1767,  and  became  the  ornament 
and  pride  of  the  family.  He  married,  July  27, 
1797,  Louisa  Catherine,  daughter  of  Mr.  Joshua 
Johnson  of  Maryland,  consul  in  France  and  after- 
ward in  England.  They  had  several  children,  of 
whom  Charles  Francis,  born  in  Boston,  August 
18,  1807,  alone  survived  his  father.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Latin  School,  and  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  1825.  He  studied  law  with 
Daniel  Webster,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1828.  In  1829  he  married  Abby  Brooks,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Peter  C.  Brooks,  of  Boston.  In  1831  he 
was  chosen  Representative  to  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature,  which  office  he  held  three  years,  and 
the  next  two  he  was  in  the  Senate.  In  1848  he 
was  candidate  for  Vice  President,  with  Martin  Van 
Buren  as  candidate  for  President.  He  has  been 
a  contributor  to  the  North  American  Review 
and  Christian  Examiner  ;  and  edited  the  writings 
of  his  grandfather  John  Adams  in  ten  volumes, 
the  first  entitled  "  Life  of  John  Adams."  He  also 
edited   the  writings   of  his  father,  John  Quincy 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  67 

Adams.  He  was  minister  at  the  Court  of  St.  James, 
and  distinguished  by  his  wisdom  and  discretion,  re- 
spected alike  by  his  own  country  and  England,  at 
the  trying  period  of  our  Civil  War.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber and  President  of  the  Board  of  Overseers  of 
Harvard  College,  President  of  the  American  Acad- 
emy of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society  and  other  literary 
associations.  In  1864  he  received  from  Harvard 
College  the  degree  of  LL.  D.,  and  that  of  D.  C.  L. 
in  England.  His  taste  and  culture  are  shown  in 
his  library,  one  of  the  richest  private  collections  in 
the  country,  numbering  some  20,000  volumes. 

Having  been  with  him  three  years  in  Harvard 
College,  and  since  enjoyed  his  acquaintance,  it  has 
given  me  pleasure  to  witness  his  course,  marked  by 
the  traits  of  his  wise,  patriotic,  and  renowned 
ancestry. 

It  is  a  privilege  to  have  spent  even  a  single 
day  under  the  roof  of  that  venerable  house  in 
Quincy  occupied  by  the  generations  of  such  distin- 
guished men.  What  an  array  of  talent  and  official 
eminence  has  gone  forth  from  that  spot!  Two 
Presidents  of  the  United  States  of  America  ;  three 
Ministers  to  the  Court  of  that  nation  who  claims  to 
rule  the  seas,  and  on  the  sound  of  whose  drum- 
beat the  sun  never  sets  ;  and  two  Ministers  to  that 
Power  who,  with  her  millions  upon  millions  of  peo- 
ple, and  almost  limitless  territory,  is  perhaps  alone 
feared  at  the  Court  of  St.  James. 

Another  member  of  this  honored  family,  fore- 


68  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

most  among  the  patriots  of  his  country,  whose 
faith  in  free  institutions  prompted  him  to  be  ever 
active  in  promoting  its  liberties,  himself  "  organiz- 
ing the  Revolution,"  and  who  was,  as  has  been 
truly  said,  "  the  personification  of  the  American 
Revolution,"  was  Samuel  Adams. 

The  mightiest  events  in  human  history  can  often 
be  traced  to  apparently  the  humblest  beginning. 
It  is  not,  perhaps,  too  much  to  say  that  Samuel 
Adams,  James  Otis,  Joseph  Murray,  Paul  Revere, 
and  a  few  other  kindred  spirits,  meeting  day  after 
day  at  the  Green  Dragon  Tavern  in  Boston,  did 
then  and  there,  amid  all  the  clouds  and  darkness 
and  distress  of  the  prospect,  plan  the  gigantic  en- 
terprise of  the  American  Revolution.  It  was 
Samuel  Adams  who  moved  at  a  town-meeting  in 
Boston,  October  28,  1771,  that  a  Committee  of 
Correspondence  of  twenty-one  persons  be  chosen 
to  assert,  in  the  face  of  Great  Britain,  "  the  rights 
of  the  Colonists,  and  the  infringements  thereof." 

The  testimony  of  his  kinsman,  John  Adams,  who 
knew  him  thoroughly,  and  labored  with  him  in  the 
interests  of  freedom,  should  be  imprinted  on  the 
nation's  memory.  "  Samuel  Adams  was  the  father 
of  the  Revolution,  and  a  man  of  steadfast  integrity, 
exquisite  humanity,  genteel  erudition,  engaging 
manners,  real  as  well  as  professed  piety,  and  a  uni- 
versal good  character." 

Language  like  what  Webster  ascribed  to  John 
Adams,  his  relative,  Samuel  Adams  actually  used : 
"We   will  submit  to  no  tax.     We  will  take  up 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  69 

arms,  and  shed  our  last  drop  of  blood,  before  the 
King  and  the  Parliament  shall  impose  on  us,  or 
settle  crown  officers,  independent  of  the  colonial 
legislature,  to  dragoon  us."  His  thirst  for  inde- 
pendence was  branded  by  his  Tory  associates  as  an 
original  sin.  "  This  unhappy  contest,"  he  once 
said,  "  will  end  in  issues  of  blood,  but  America  may 
wash  her  hands  in  innocence." 

I  have  before  me  a  portrait,  by  Copley,  of  Sam- 
uel Adams  at  the  age  of  forty-nine,  which  expresses 
all  that  is  contained  in  the  strong  language  of  his 
relative.  He  is  represented  as  of  the  ordinary 
height,  of  muscular  form,  erect  in  person,  with  light- 
blue  eyes  and  light  complexion.  He  wore  a  tie 
wig,  cocked  hat,  and  red  cloak.  He  was  a  forcible 
speaker,  his  manner  very  serious ;  and  he  had  a 
tremulous  motion  of  the  head,  which  gave  empha- 
sis to  his  speech  and  became  associated  with  his 
eloquent  voice.  He  voted  in  favor  of  adopting 
the  Constitution,  although  in  politics  he  opposed 
the  administration.  At  the  age  of  seventy-two, 
May  1794,  he  was  elected  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts and  remained  in  office  three  years.  By  his 
pen,  his  tongue,  and,  best  of  all,  his  example,  he 
then,  as  before,  did  all  in  his  power  to  establish  the 
principles  of  the  Eevolution,  and  staked  everything 
dearest  to  him  upon  its  issues. 

Samuel  and  John  Adams,  illustrious  fellow-labor- 
ers in  the  Eevolution,  had  the  same  great-grand- 
father, an  emigrant  from  England  and  a  son  of 
Henry  Adams.     Samuel  Adams  was  born  in  Bos- 


70  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ton,  September  27,  1722,  of  a  renowned  family  in 
that  town,  and  he  died  there  October  2,  1803,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-one. 

My  personal  interest  in  this  family  is  enhanced 
from  the  several  circumstances  that  he,  with  John 
Hancock,  was  proscribed  from  the  offer  of  pardon 
to  all  rebels  in  this  country,  made  in  1775  by 
General  Gage  ;  and  that,  being  with  Hancock,  on 
the  Provincial  Committees  of  Safety  and  Supplies, 
at  Wetherby's  Black  Horse  Tavern  in  Menotomy, 
the  eighteenth  of  April  1775,  they  fled  the  evening 
before  the  Battle  to  my  native  town,  Lexington, 
for  safety ;  and  that  it  was  on  a  hill  familiar  to  my 
boyhood  that  he  uttered  to  his  companion  John 
Hancock,  while  they  were  on  their  escape  from  the 
British  troops,  as  they  saw  the  sun  rise  on  the 
memorable  nineteenth  of  April,  1775,  that  im- 
mortal sentence :  "  What  a  glorious  morning  this 
is  for  America." 

By  a  singular  good  fortune  there  came  into  my 
hands  certain  memorials  of  the  family  of  Mr. 
Adams,  in  the  form  of  personal  expenditures, 
worthy  of  a  permanent  record.  I  am  permitted 
by  a  descendant  of  William  Donnison,  executor 
of  the  will  of  Samuel  Adams,  dated  December 
29,  1790,  to  give  the  following  receipts  to  the 
public. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  Samuel  Adams,  with 
all  his  power  and  patriotism  and  eloquence,  both 
by  pen  and  voice,  "  was  no  man  of  business." 
This    was  indicated  in  his  boyhood,  when,  being 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  71 

placed  with  a  merchant,  he  did  not  succeed.  The 
story  is  circulated  that  he  was  once  taken  from  the 
hands  of  a  sheriff  by  his  friend  John  Hancock.  It  is 
certain  that  at  his  death  he  left  real  estate  of  a 
moderate  value,  and  personal  property,  according 
to  the  inventory,  worth  only  $665.70.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  receipt  of  earliest  date  before 
me :  — 

The  estate  of  the  late  Hon.  S.  Adams  to  Charles 
Jarvis,  to  visits  and  attendance  on  the  family  in  eight 
years         .......         $150 

Boston,  Oct.  14,  1803. 


Received  the  above  in  full  of  all  demand  of  John 
Avery,  esq.,  attorney  to  the  executrix  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Adams. 

Charles  Jarvis. 


This  charge  for  eight  years,  —  a  mysterious  delay, 
—  of  medical  attendance  on  a  whole  family  is  ex- 
tremely low,  owing  probably  to  one  or  both  of  two 
causes,  —  either  the  remarkable  health  of  the  fam- 
ily or  great  consideration  and  kindness  on  the  part 
of  the  physician.  When  we  remember  that  in  those 
days  medicine  was  usually  furnished  by  the  doctor 
and  included  in  his  bill,  the  charge  appears  marvel- 
lously small. 

The  next  receipt  is  as  follows  :  — 


72 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


Boston,  October  6th,  1803. 
The  Estate  of  his  Honner 
Samuel  Addams  Late  Governor  Deceasd 

To  Henry  Lane         .  •       .         Dr. 
For  the  Interment  of  his  Boddy 
to  Cash  payd  the  Sextons     . 
to  horse  hir  and  expences  out  of  town 
to  Opening  the  tomb  Use  of  Pall  to- 
gather  with  my  attendance 


112 
5 

13 


$30 
Received  payment  of  Mrs.   Elizth  Ad- 
ams Executx  to  the  above  Estate 

Henry  Lane. 

The  charges  in  this  account,  if  estimated  in  the 
metallic  currency  of  that  period,  appear  high,  but 
if  reckoned  by  the  paper  values  of  the  day  they 
were  not  unreasonable. 

The  tax  bill  of  the  same  year  is  interesting,  as 
showing  the  valuation  of  Mr.  Adams's  property, 
with  certain  customs  then  prevalent. 


Ward  No.  11 


To  Samel  Adams  Esqr. 


Your  Commonwealth  Tax. 

BolVs.  Cts. 
Poll,  27 

Real  Estate,  2.  76 

Personal  Estate,  j  ^ 

Income  &c.  j         _ _ 

6.  03 


Your  Town  and  County  Tax. 
JDolVs.  Cts. 
Poll, 

Real  Estate, 
Personal  Estate,  \ 
Income  &c.  j 


1.  48 
16.  56 

18. 


36. 
6. 


42. 


You  will  please  to  notice,  that  by  paying  the  above 
Tax  in  Thirty  Days  from  this  date,  there  will  be  made  a 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  73 

Discount  of  Five  per  Cent,  and  within  Sixty  Days  Three 
per  Cent,  and  within  One  Hundred  and  Twenty  Days 
Two  per  Cent,  and,  if  not  paid  within  Six  Months,  Pros- 
ecution will  ensue. 

Errors  excepted.      Benjamin  Sumner,  Collector. 

Boston,  Octr.  1803. 

Several  questions  here  arise.  On  what  scale 
was  the  Poll  tax  assessed  ?  And  for  what  number 
of  persons  ?  Who  were  the  separate  owners  of  the 
Real  Estate?  Mr.  Adams's  Personal  Estate  was 
valued  after  his  death,  as  we  have  seen,  at  only 
$665.70,  and  his  income  is  known  to  have  been 
very  small.  Could  the  tax  on  the  above  sum  have 
been,  with  that  on  his  income,  so  little  as  $3  in 
the  one  column,  or  so  great  as  $18  in  the  other? 
And  yet  on  the  back  of  the  bill  we  find  this  en- 
dorsement :  — 

Amount, $42.07 

Discount, 2.10 


$39.97 


Nov.  16,  1803. 

Red  for  Benjn  Sumner  Collet. 
139.  97  Jas  Sumner. 

This  shows  that  the  bill  was  paid  in  thirty 
days,  and  apparently  without  objection,  as  it 
bears  the  further  indorsement  "  paid  by  Mrs. 
Adams." 

Mrs.  Adams  died  in  1808,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four.  After  this  the  following  bill  was  rendered 
and  paid  :  — 


74  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

The  Estate  of  Mrs  Elizath  Adams  Decd 

to  Samuel  Danforth  Dr. 

1808  To  a  visit  on  Consultation  Jany  18,        .  $5 

To  Ditto  in  March         ....  3 


Boston,  July  11,  1809. 

Received  payment  of  the  above  act 

Samuel  Danforth. 

These  charges  appear,  in  our  day,  exceedingly 
low.  A  few  persons  still  living  may  recollect  the 
name  and  reputation  of  Dr.  Danforth.  He  was  a 
very  skilful  physician,  but  quite  brusque  and  eccen- 
tric in  his  manners  and  conversation.  Being  con- 
sulted once  as  to  his  opinion  of  the  best  way  of 
preparing  cucumbers  for  the  table,  he  replied : 
"  Pare  them  nicely,  cut  them  into  thin  slices,  put  on 
a  good  quantity  of  pepper,  and  then  —  give  them 
to  the  hogs." 

Among  the  legacies  in  the  will  of  Mrs.  Adams, 
dated  December  15,  1807,  are  the  following :  "  To 
Mr.  William  Donnison  I  give  $200,  and  to  his 
wife  $10,  to  buy  a  ring."  This  testimonial  of  re- 
gard to  Mr.  Donnison  was  doubtless  made  from  his 
refusing  any  compensation  for  his  long  and  faithful 
services  both  to  Mrs.  Adams  and  her  distinguished 
husband.  The  gift  of  a  ring  was  a  very  frequent 
bequest  in  those  days,  and  the  price  was  almost 
uniformly  fixed  at  ten  dollars. 

Mr.  Adams  had  the  fortune  to  be  strangely 
misunderstood  abroad.     As  an  illustration  of  the 


ADAMS    FAMILY.  75 

errors  and  misstatements  of  the  English,  we  read 
in  one  of  our  journals  of  that  time  :  — 

An  extraordinary  compliment  to  Samuel  Adams,  at 
the  expense  of  his  kinsman  John  Adams,  appears  in 
the  London  Morning  Post,  of  1779.  "  The  dismission 
of  John  Adams  from  the  rebel  embassy  at  the  court  of 
Versailles  indicates  a  decline  of  the  influence  of  the 
northern  faction,  and  bodes  no  good  to  American  inde- 
pendence. John  Adams  is  the  kinsman  and  creature  of 
Samuel  Adams,  the  Cromwell  of  New  England,  to 
whose  intriguing  arts  the  declaration  of  independence 
is  in  a  great  measure  to  be  attributed." 

What  a  relief  it  must  have  given  to  those  who 
credited  this  and  similar  language  to  read  in  the 
same  paper,  shortly  after,  that  the  downfall  of  this 
tyrant  —  perhaps  we  should  say  his  political  sui- 
cide—  had  actually  been  accomplished  :  — 

November  12,  1779.  —  This  day,  being  Sunday,  the 
famous  Samuel  Adams  read  his  recantation  of  heresy, 
after  which  he  was  present  at  Mass,  and  we  hear 
will  soon  receive  priests'  orders  to  qualify  him  for  a 
member  of  the  American  Sorbonne. 

Many  anecdotes,  illustrating  the  customs  of  his 
day,  might  be  cited  from  the  Journal  of  Samuel 
Adams.  One  day,  on  his  journey  to  Congress,  he 
dined,  he  tells  us,  in  Orange  County,  New  Jer- 
sey—  this  was  in  1777  —  at  a  Mr.  Brewster's, 
grandson  of  one  of  the  adventurers  at  Plymouth. 
"  The  manners  of  the  family,"  he  says,  "  were  ex- 
actly like  those  of  New  England  people ;  a  decent 
grace  before  and  after  meat ;  fine  pork  and  beef, 
and  cabbage  and  turnips." 


76 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


Of  the  five  delegates  appointed  in  June,  1774, 
by  the  General  Court,  to  attend  the  Continental 
Congress  in  Philadelphia,  two  were  Samuel  Adams 
and  John  Adams.  The  different  economic  habits 
of  these  two  men  are  seen  in  the  following  slight 
incident.  Mr.  Samuel  Adams,  in  rendering  his  ac- 
count of  expenses  in  a  bill  directed  to  the  Colony 
of  Massachusetts  Bay,  inserts  this  item,  "  For 
three  months'  shaving  and  dressing,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  pounds,"  which  was  duly  paid ; 
while  Mr.  John  Adams,  in  a  very  long  list  of 
charges,  makes  no  mention  of  any  sum  due  him 
for  "  shaving  and  dressing." 


THE    OLD    SOUTH    CHURCH. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

QUINCY      FAMILY. 

A  personal  acquaintance  with  Hon.  Josiah 
Quincy,  son  of  the  patriot,  Josiah  Quincy  Jr.,  es- 
pecially during  his  presidency  of  Harvard  College, 
leads  me  to  devote  a  few  pages  to  his  prolonged 
and  distinguished  life,  and  that  of  members  of  his 
family. 

Mr.  Quincy' s  name  stands  in  a  long  line  of  men, 
prominent  in  American  history.  Edmund  Quincy, 
of  Wigsthorpe,  Northampshire,  England,  married 
Ann  Palmer,  October  15,  1593.  Their  son  Ed- 
mund was  baptized  May  30,  1602.  He  married, 
July  14,  1623,  Judith  Pares. 

Edmund  and  Judith  Quincy  came  from  England 
in  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  to  escape  persecution. 
They  reached  Boston,  September  4,  1633  ;  he  was 
made  Freeman  in  1633.  In  1634  he  was  chosen 
Assessor,  and  in  May,  the  same  year,  was  Represen- 
tative to  the  First  Colonial  General  Court,  and  on  a 
committee  to  purchase  the  peninsula  Shawmut  of 
Mr.  "  Blaxton."  He  had  an  allotment  for  a  farm 
at  Rumney  Marsh,  December  4,  1635,  and  was 
among  the  first  to  receive  from  Boston,  in  1635, 


78  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

a  grant  of  land,  afterward  called  the  "  Quincy 
Home,"  at  Mount  Wollaston.  Soon  after  he  died, 
at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three  years ;  yet  he  had 
already  been  one  of  the  first  Representatives  in  the 
General  Court  of  the  Province.  He  led  the  way 
of  a  long  line  of  descendants — magistrates,  judges, 
and  officers  civil  and  military.  It  was  with  this 
line  that,  subsequently,  the  patriot  Hancock  became 
connected  by  marriage. 

Mr.  Hancock  was  familiar  in  the  Clark  Mansion, 
at  Lexington,  partly  doubtless  from  his  engage- 
ment to  a  connection  of  that  family.  Their  mar- 
riage is  thus  recorded  in  a  New  York  journal,  dated 
September  4,  1775: 

August  28th,  was  married  at  the  seat  of  Thaddeus 
Burn,  Esqr.,  at  Fairfield,  Connecticut,  by  the  Rev.  An- 
drew Elliot,  the  Hon.  John  Hancock,  Esq.,  President  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  to  Miss  Dorothey  Quincy, 
daughter  of  Edmund  Quincy,  Esq.,  of  Boston.  A  brave 
Roman  purchased  a  field  in  a  certain  territory  near 
Rome,  which  Hannibal  was  besieging  confident  of  his 
success.  Equal  to  the  conduct  of  that  illustrious  citizen 
was  the  marriage  of  the  Hon.  John  Hancock,  who,  with 
his  amiable  lady,  has  paid  as  great  a  compliment  to 
American  valor,  and  discovered  equal  patriotism,  by 
marrying  now,  while  all  the  Colonies  are  as  much  con- 
vulsed as  Rome  when  Hannibal  was  at  her  gates. 

Edmund,  son  of  Edmund,  born  in  England  in 
1627,  came  to  Mount  Wollaston,  and  settled  there 
on  his  father's  estate.  In  1670-3-5,  and  in  1681, 
he  was  Representative  to  the  General  Court.  He 
died  March  15,  1697.     He  had  two  sons,  Edmund 


JOHN     HANCOCK. 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  79 

and  Josiah.  His  son  Edmund  was  born  in  Brain- 
tree,  October,  1681,  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1699,  and  was  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  province  ;  he  died  in  London  February  23, 
1738,  aged  fifty-six  years.  The  inventory  of  his 
estate,  goods  and  chattels,  valued  at  £2073  12s. 
contained  "housing,  outbuildings,  and  Farm  he 
lived  on,  valued  at  £1400 ;  Moore  Farm  and  hous- 
ing upon  it,  £200  ;  one  negro  man  and  a  woman 
and  3  boys,  £100;  Plate,  £44  ;  1  Pair  silk  curtains, 
£2  10s;  70  sheep,  £24;  8  cows,  £24;  4  steers 
and  3  heifers,  £19  10s.  =  £67  10s.  besides  8  year- 
ling calves  and  3  horses,  value,  £15." 

It  was  in  honor  of  Colonel  Josiah  Quincy,  who 
occupied  the  Mount  Wollaston  farm,  and  in  1670, 
built  a  house  upon  it,  that  the  town  of  Quincy  re- 
ceived its  name.  He  was  distinguished  as  the 
Representative  of  that  place  in  1717,  1719,  1722, 
1729,  and  1741,  and  was  Speaker  of  the  House  in 
1729  and  1741,  The  people  of  this  town,  under 
the  lead  of  the  Quincys  and  many  of  their  stamp, 
were  hopeful  and  far-reaching  in  their  anticipa- 
tions, and  in  their  straits  they  aided  the  colonies 
in  establishing  free  schools,  and  in  founding  the 
college  at  Cambridge  ;  and,  impelled  and  directed 
by  their  broad  and  spiritual  faith,  they  built 
churches  and  worshipped,  one  and  all,  in  them. 

The  second  tomb  built  in  the  old  cemetery  of 
Quincy,  Massachusetts,  in  1699,  was  that  of  Ed- 
mund Quincy.  Fairfield's  Diary  has  this  record 
in  regard  to  his  burial  there  :  — 


80  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

January  10,  1697-8.  Helped  dig  Mr.  Quincy's 
grave.     Frost  is  one  and  near  two  feet  thick. 

January  11,  made  an  end  of  digging,  bricked  the 
grave,  weather  warm.  [This  must  have  been  an  old 
fashioned  "  January  thaw."] 

September  16,  1699.  I  carted  stone  for  Mr.  Quin- 
cy's tomb. 

To  us  it  seems  almost  incredible,  with  our  care 
for  the  resting-places  of  the  dead,  that  this  ancient 
cemetery,  like  many  others  of  that  period,  should 
have  been  left  uninclosed  and  used  as  a  pasture  for 
cattle.  Yet  so  it  was  for  more  than  a  century  and 
a  half,  until  a  few  reverent  spirits  in  1809, — 
among  them  was  Josiah  Quincy,  — raised  by  sub- 
scription one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  with  which 
they  purchased  of  certain  others  the  right  of  her- 
bage and  pasturage  in  the  cemetery.  This  privi- 
lege was  afterward  presented,  with  a  deed,  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Quincy,  on  condition  that  no  "  horse 
or  cattle  of  any  description  shall  be  allowed  to  run 
at  large  in  the  cemetery,  a  fence  shall  be  maintained 
around  it,"  and,  with  what  to  us  seems  a  singular 
provison,  "  no  trees  shall  be  permitted  to  grow 
within  the  said  ground." 

Edmund  Quincy  had  a  son  Daniel,  whose  only 
son  John  Quincy,  born  1689,  was  great-grandfather 
of  John  Quincy  Adams,  who  derived  his  name 
from  him.  He  was  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, and  was  a  member  of  the  Council 
forty  successive  years. 

In  1675   we   find  in  the  will  of  Leonard  Hoar, 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  81 

third  President  of  Harvard  College,  the  following 
item :  "  I  give  to  my  dear  sisters,  Flint  and  Quin- 
cey,  each  a  black  serge  gown."  This  latter  lady 
must  have  been  the  wife  of  Colonel  Edmund  Quincy, 
who,  with  "  other  principal  gentlemen  and  gentle- 
women of  the  Town  of  Boston,"  attended  at 
"  Brantry,"  May  25,  1723,  the  funeral  of  the  widow 
of  President  Hoar. 

Josiah  Quincy,  youngest  son  of  Edmund,  was 
born  in  Braintree  in  1710,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1728.  He  died  in  Braintree 
1784.  Edmund,  eldest  son  of  Josiah,  was  born  in 
Braintree  in  October,  1733,  and  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1752.  He  died  at  sea,  March 
1768,  aged  thirty-five.  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.  was 
born  in  Boston,  February  23,  1744  ;  he  graduated 
at  Harvard  College  in  1763;  studied  law,  and  was 
eminent  in  the  practice  of  it.  He  took  a  firm  and 
bold  stand  as  a  writer  and  actor  in  the  cause  of 
his  country's  freedom.  Ill  health  compelled  him 
to  go  abroad  to  England,  where  he  labored  for  his 
native  land.  He  was  returning  home  to  work  heart 
and  hand  for  her  independence,  but  died  near  the 
coast,  April  26,  seven  days  after  the  Battle  of 
Lexington.  His  last  prayer  was  for  his  country, 
and  his  name  is  immortalized  among  those  who 
laid  the  foundation  of  her  liberty  and  the  cause  of 
freedom  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

Josiah  Quincy  was  the  only  child  of  Josiah 
Quincy  Jr.,  the  Patriot,  living  at  his  father's  death. 
His  widowed  mother  believed  it  her  duty  to  send 


82  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

him  at  the  age  of  six  to  Phillips  Academy  in  An- 
dover.  When  lie  was  censured  or  punished  he 
found  rest  for  his  sorrow  and  tears  in  the  home  of 
his  good  friend  Rev.  Mr.  French.  He  describes 
the  old  meeting-house  in  Andover  :  "  A  three-story 
building,  with  two  tiers  of  galleries,  and  the 
tything-man  with  his  long  pole,  with  which  he 
would  rap  on  the  wall  ever  and  anon,  to  the  terror 
of  mischievous  boys  and  sleeping  elders."  He  spoke 
often  of  the  kindness  of  Mr.  French  at  this  time. 

Rev.  Jonathan  French,  of  South  Parish,  An- 
dover, who  was  distinguished  for  his  self-sacrificing 
patriotism,  heard  of  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
Sunday  morning,  and  started  for  the  battle-field 
with  musket  in  hand,  and  his  case  of  surgeon's  in- 
struments and  medicines,  —  the  clergy  were  some- 
times half  physicians  in  those  days, —  and  no  doubt, 
as  became  a  minister,  with  his  Bible  also.  He 
rendered  valuable  aid  that  day,  caring  for  the 
wounded,  and  administering  comfort  and  consola- 
tion, physical  and  spiritual. 

When  his  meeting-house  was  remodelled  in  1821, 
stoves  were  put  in.  It  had  previous  to  this  a 
Noon  House,  where  distant  members  ate  their 
luncheon,  and  in  winter  warmed  themselves  and 
filled  their  footstoves,  for  afternoon  service  in  the 
cold  meeting-house,  with  live  coals  from  the  great 
wood  fires,  blazing  at  both  ends  of  the  house. 

My  first  direct  knowledge  of  Mr.  Quincy  was  on 
the  visit  of  Lafayette  to  this  country  in  1824.  Be- 
ing then  Mayor  of   Boston,  he  accompanied  the 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  83 

nation's  illustrious  guest  when  he  visited  Cam- 
bridge, and  did  the  honors  of  his  office  there,  as  in 
his  own  city,  with  that  dignity  and  patriotic 
affection  which  became  the  occasion.  He  was 
then  fifty-one  years  of  age,  a  fine  figure,  his  face 
indicating  a  mind  which  combined  a  Roman  gravity 
with  an  Attic  wit,  and  in  society  he  had  a  fascinat- 
ing smile.  Harvard  College  honored  him  this 
year,  1824,  by  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.,  an  honor  which  he  amply  repaid  by  his 
long  and  distinguished  services  as  president  of  that 
institution,  commencing  in  1829,  and  continuing 
until  1845. 

During  this  period  I  was  brought  into  official 
and  personal  relations  with  Mr.  Quincy.  As  presi- 
dent of  the  college  he  became  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  Hopkins  Classical  School  in  Cambridge,  of 
which  body,  as  chairman  of  the  school  committee, 
I  was  also  a  member.  He  paid  me  also  the  un- 
sought, long-continued  honor  of  a  place  on  com- 
mittees for  examining  the  students  in  college,  an 
office  quite  different,  as  regards  the  frequent 
association  of  its  incumbents,  from  that  bearing  the 
same  name  now.  He  called  at  my  residence,  then 
in  Cambridgeport,  to  ask  if  I  would  accept  the 
position.  A  carriage  was  sent  on  each  day  of 
examination  to  bring  the  members  of  the  commit- 
tee to  the  college,  and  one  was  provided  for  such 
as  desired  it  to  take  them  home.  We  were  invited 
to  a  dinner,  at  which  always  the  professor  whose 
department  we  had  visited,  and  often  other  com- 


84  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

mittees,  with  the  instructors  in  their  several 
branches,  were  present.  President  Quincy  invari- 
ably attended  the  examinations,  and  was  with  us  as 
the  host  at  the  dinner  table.  His  manner  on  these 
occasions  was  cordial,  courteous,  and  affable.  I 
recollect  many  striking  and  facetious  remarks  of 
his  which  space  forbids  me  to  relate.  The  country 
was  then  agitated  deeply  on  the  subject  of  slavery. 
On  one  occasion  Dr.  Eufus  P.  Stebbins  had  the  day 
previous  preached  in  the  College  Chapel  a  sermon 
on  the  text :  "  Whosoever  committeth  sin  is  the 
servant  of  sin."  "  The  emancipation  spoken  of 
yesterday  morning/'  said  the  President  "  was  one 
of  whose  need  we  all  agree,  whatever  we  may 
think  of  negro  emancipation." 

Mr.  Quincy's  residence  was  in  the  old  Wads- 
worth  Mansion,  where  the  presidents  of  that  period 
lived.  There  we  were  always  welcomed,  not  only 
by  the  host,  but  by  his  gracious  companion.  It 
would  be  unjust  to  history  to  pass  unobserved  the 
memory  of  her  who  partook  with  Mr.  Quincy  in 
his  spirit,  and  adorned  her  station  at  his  side, 
whether  in  the  social  circles  of  Boston,  or  in  the 
literary  atmosphere  of  Cambridge.  I  cannot  re- 
call her  presence,  her  personal  dignity  and  attrac- 
tiveness, without  a  sense  of  our  obligations  to  her 
on  her  own  merits,  and  as  a  representative  of  that 
sex  to  whose  signal  patriotism,  back  to  the  earliest 
American  history,  we  are  so  much  indebted.  Be 
it  a  legend  or  be  it  truth  —  and  I  think  the  latter 
is  the  probability  —  it  was  fitting  that  a  woman's 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  85 

foot  should  be  the  first  that  pressed  the  rock  of 
Plymouth,  at  the  landing  of  the  noble  company 
who,  in  faith,  fortitude,  and  affection,  began  here 
the  glorious  work  of  God  and  man  in  the  great 
cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  It  was  a  pre- 
sage of  the  heroic  spirit  and  self-denying  and  ad- 
venturous labors  of  that  sex  in  all  our  subsequent 
history.  How  often,  by  her  tender  care  of  the 
suffering,  and  her  sharing  in  all  the  perils  and 
privations  of  the  times,  woman  rendered  a  service 
to  the  country  never  yet  fully  appreciated. 

The  devoted  wife  of  John  Adams  was  a  right 
arm  of  strength  to  her  illustrious  husband,  in  every 
hour  where  sound  judgment  as  well  as  untiring 
affection  could  minister  to  his  necessities.  Her 
invaluable  "  Letters"  show  both  a  wisdom  and 
a  patriotism  not  eclipsed  by  the  brightest  records 
of  woman's  influence  in  history,  ancient  or 
modern. 

We  extol  the  Father  of  our  Country  in  unmeas- 
ured terms,  but  no  pen,  I  believe,  has  yet  given  a 
true  and  just  picture  of  the  influence  on  our 
national  destinies  of  Mary  the  mother  and  Martha 
the  wife  of  Washington ;  of  the  latter  of  whom  Mr. 
Quincy  says,  commenting  on  her  matronly  beauty, 
and  her  services  to  her  husband  and  her  country  : 
"  Of  her  it  might  be  as  truly  said  as  ever  it  could 
be  of  woman  —  she  was  of  her  own  sex  the  glory, 
and  of  the  other  the  admiration." 

Mrs.  Quincy  was  a  model  in  hospitality,  and  her 
genial    smile   and   courteous  manner   made    their 


86  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

weekly  receptions  most  agreeable,  not  only  to  the 
officers  of  the  college,  but  to  the  students  at  large. 
In  this  regard,  as  in  others,  Mr.  Quincy's  was  a 
joyous  administration.  After  long  years  of  regret 
at  the  single  life  of  his  predecessor,  good  Dr.  Kirk- 
land,  we  were  delighted  to  meet  our  esteemed  and 
cordial  president,  surrounded  by  a  family  circle  so 
cultivated  and  honored. 

An  extraordinary  energy  pervaded  the  whole 
character  and  life  of  Mr.  Quincy ;  whatever  his 
hand  found  to  do  he  did  with  his  might.  This  trait 
was  seen  in  his  emphatic  mode  of  conversation. 
I  often  noticed  a  reaction  of  this  intensity.  He 
would  express  himself  with  great  clearness  and 
force,  and,  notwithstanding  he  was  a  thorough 
gentleman  and  full  of  courtesy,  he  would  in  a  few 
moments  —  even  while  one  perhaps  was  responding 
to  his  words  —  from  the  power  of  his  tempera- 
ment, be  sometimes  lost  in  oblivion,  and,  seeming 
unable  to  resist  the  tendency,  even  close  his  eyes 
as  if  overtaken  by  sleep. 

To  this  peculiar  temperament,  I  think,  was  owing 
in  part  his  occasional  lapse  of  memory.  He  often 
forgot  the  names  of  those  he  knew  perfectly  well, 
even  of  college  students,  whom  he  wished  specially 
to  address  aright.  The  story  was  told,  probably 
without  a  sure  foundation,  that  he  went  one  day  to 
the  Cambridge  post-office  for  his  mail,  and,  upon 
his  asking  if  there  were  any  letters  for  him,  the 
clerk,  being  that  day  a  new-comer  in  the  office, 
asked,  "  For  what  name,  sir  ?  "    "  For  what  name," 


QUINCY   FAMILY.  87 

Mr.  Quincy  replied,  u  you  know  me  of  course."  In 
his  absence  of  mind,  as  the  story  went,  he  for  the 
moment  actually  forgot  his  own  name.  Turning 
away  he  was  met  by  a  friend  who  thus  accosted 
him  :  "  Good-morning,  Mr.  Quincy."  "  Ah,  Quincy,', 
said  he,  returning  to  the  clerk,  "  are  there  any  let- 
ters for  Mr.  Quincy?"  I  think  those  who  had 
known  and  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  the  remarkable 
memory  for  names  of  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Kirkland, 
liked  to  repeat,  and  would  sometimes  exaggerate, 
anecdotes  of  this  kind. 

The  industry  of  this  rare  man  was  as  remarkable 
as  his  intellect  and  eminent  virtues.  I  remember 
in  a  conversation  upon  the  dangers  and  evils  of  the 
prevalent  excessive  reading  of  newspapers,  he  once 
said :  "  For  myself,  I  devote  but  ten  minutes  a  day 
to  the  papers."  Perhaps  this  will  appear  to  many 
a  meagre  allotment  of  time  for  such  reading.  But 
it  reveals  that  marvellous  economy  of  time  which 
enabled  him,  not  only  to  read  so  many  solid  books, 
but  to  write  volume  upon  volume  himself,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  practical  labors,  as  a  lawyer  from  1793, 
as  a  business  man,  the  discharge  of  his  manifold 
offices  as  representative  in  the  State  and  National 
legislatures,  on  the  bench  as  mayor  for  six  years 
of  a  rapidly  growing  city,  for  sixteen  years  as  presi- 
dent of  Harvard  College,  beside  working  else- 
where in  the  cause  of  education,  and  in  many 
other  distinguished  and  useful  occupations. 

I  well  remember  the  joy  we  felt  when  it  was 
known  that  Mr.  Quincy  had  been  elected  to  preside 


88  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

over  our  beloved  university.  '  He  was  a  man 
eminently  marked  for  the  position.  The  financial 
affairs  of  the  institution  needed,  many  thought,  a 
practical  man  at  its  head,  some  said  a  layman. 
Here  was  one  whose  ability,  as  well  as  experience, 
fitted  him  for  the  exigency.  Certain  reforms  in  the 
administration  of  the  college  were  called  for.  He 
had  the  energy,  united  with  the  good  judgment, 
required  for  the  place.  His  interest  in  education, 
and  the  work  he  had  done  for  it  in  the  case  of  the 
public  schools,  no  less  than  his  own  culture  and 
literary  attainments,  pointed  to  him  as  the  best 
candidate  for  this  office.  He  had  exhibited  both 
social  and  moral  traits  which  fitted  him  for  this 
place.  In  his  relations  to  other  public  men  he  had 
shown  an  elevated  spirit.  A  marked  trait  of  Mr. 
Quincy  had  been  his  magnanimity.  For  example  : 
toward  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  in  their  lives  both 
friends  and  rivals,  he  had  always  maintained  a 
noble  attitude.  After  his  success  over  Mr.  Otis  in 
their  opposition  as  candidates  for  the  mayoralty, 
he  said  at  a  public  political  meeting,  in  the  presence 
of  Mr.  Otis,  that  his  own  election  over  his  opponent 
was  after  all  a  compliment  to  Mr.  Otis  :  "  It  de- 
monstrated the  conviction,  on  the  part  of  our 
fellow-citizens,  that  to  degrade  Mr.  Otis  by  such  a 
comparatively  subordinate  office  would  be  like 
making  a  common  drag-chain  of  a  diamond  neck- 
lace." 

When  he  came  to  the  college  and  gave  his  in- 
augural address,  we  saw  that  wisdom  was  to  be 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  89 

justified  by  her  own  children,  by  this  faithful  son 
of  Harvard.  The  transition  from  the  mayoralty 
of  Boston  to  the  academic  seclusion  of  the  college 
grounds  was  well  portrayed,  in  his  fine  Latin  in- 
augural Address,  as  a  passage,  "  ex  pulvere  ac 
strepitu  urbis "  from  the  tumult  of  the  one 
place  to  the  quiet  of  the  other,  to  his  noiseless  and 
comparatively  retired  home.  I  was  struck  in  his 
address  that  day  with  the  same  Roman  vigor  and 
classical  and  lucid  terseness  which  had  marked  all 
his  public  literary  and  civic  productions.  Among 
these  was  his  memorable  oration  of  the  Fourth  of 
July,  1826,  delivered  before  the  city  authorities  of 
Boston.  He  was  then  in  his  prime,  about  fifty- 
four  years  old,  at  wThich  time  Stuart  painted  a 
portrait  of  him,  w7hich  combines  the  fire  of  the  pat- 
riot with  the  mental  strength  and  moral  beauty  of 
the  man.  In  this  address  he  spoke  in  an  eloquent 
strain  of  "  John  Adams,  that  eminent  citizen  of 
Boston,  that  patriarch  of  American  independence, 
of  all  New  England's  worthies  on  this  day  the  sole 
survivor."  By  a  coincidence,  rare  in  all  human 
history,  while  Mr.  Quincy  was  uttering  his  noble 
testimonial  to  the  aged  patriot,  that  man  was  fast 
sinking  in  the  arms  of  death.  The  venerable  ex- 
President  was  still  alive,  but  before  the  festivities  of 
the  day  were  over,  his  spirit  had  passed  away. 

Those  same  qualities  characterized  his  subse- 
quent able  and  patriotic  oration  at  the  second 
centennial  celebration  in  Boston,  September  17, 
1830.     His  experience  and  success  as  Mayor  of 


90  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Boston  naturally  turned  all  eyes  toward  Mr. 
Quincy  as  the  fit  orator  on  that  occasion.  The 
comme'moration  took  place  appropriately  in  the 
Old  South  Church.  A  poem  was  read  by  Charles 
Sprague,  and  an  ode  contributed  by  John  Pier- 
pont,  then  minister  of  Hollis  Street  Church.  The 
Mayor,  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  and  the  Aldermen  and 
Common  Council  met  for  the  first  time  in  their 
several  rooms  in  the  Old  State  House,  after- 
ward the  City  Hall.  They  subsequently  convened 
in  the  Common  Council  Chamber,  where  the  Mayor 
delivered  an  address  of  some  length.  The  City 
Government  then  moved  to  the  State  House, 
where  a  procession  was  formed,  under  the  direction 
of  General  William  Sullivan,  Chief  Marshal  of  the 
day.  It  included  the  Historical  Society  and  other 
historical  and  literary  associations.  The  proces- 
sion, under  the  escort  of  the  Ancient  and  Hon- 
orable Artillery  Company,  moved  down  Beacon 
Street,  entered  the  Common,  and  passed  through 
two  lines  containing  several  thousand  children 
of  the  public  schools,  and,  marching  through  the 
chief  streets  of  the  city,  arrived  at  the  Old  South 
Church.  I  thought  Mr.  Quincy  appeared  that  day 
at  his  best.  Although  his  oration  occupied  two 
hours,  its  great  interest  commanded  the  close  atten- 
tion of  the  crowded  audience  who  heard  it.  While 
listening  to  the  oration  of  his  great-grandson, 
Josiah  Quincy,  on  commencement  day,  at  his  grad- 
uation from  Harvard  College  in  1880,  I  was  re- 
minded of  the  noble  figure,  the  resonant  voice,  the 


if  11  >     IT*".* 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  91 

eloquent  and  high-toned  principles  of  his  distin- 
guished grandparent,  and  of  the  noble  patriotism 
of  the  long  line  of  Quincys. 

In  Mr.  Quincy's  brief  speech  at  the  dinner  table 
after  the  re-interment,  April  19,  1835,  of  the  men 
killed  in  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  whose  remains 
at  this  time,  after  an  eloquent  address  by  Edward 
Everett,  were  placed  in  a  sarcophagus  under  the 
monument  in  that  town,  I  was  impressed  with  his 
earnest,  though  modest  and  dignified  manner,  and 
his  spirit  so  in  harmony  with  that  of  the  proto- 
martyrs  whom  we  that  day  commemorated.  By 
request  I  had  prepared  the  sentiment  intended  to 
draw  from  him  what  followed.  It  was  in  these 
words  :  — 

Josiah  Quincy,  Junior,  who  died  April  26,  1775, 
among  the  first-born  of  the  champions  of  American  Lib- 
erty :  like  the  martyrs  whose  memory  we  this  day 
venerate,  he  saw  but  the  dawn  of  that  light  he  prized 
higher  than  life.  "His  sons  come  to  honor,  but  he  know- 
eth  it  not."     Peace  to  his  ashes ! 


Mr.  Quincy,  then  President  of  Harvard  College, 
being  called  upon  for  a  sentiment,  remarked  that, 
after  what  had  been  said  by  distinguished  gen- 
tlemen, in  the  church  and  at  the  table,  it  would  not 
be  expected  of  him  that  he  should  make  a  display 
or  a  speech.  It  was  a  time  for  feeling,  —  a  time 
for  thought,  —  not  a  moment  to  applaud;  he 
should,  therefore,  simply  reciprocate  the  sentiment 


92  KEMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  the  chair :  "  The  town  of  Lexington  —  where 
brave  men  are  raised,  and  brave  men  honored." 

The  patriotism  of  Mr.  Quincy  shone  out  on 
every  occasion  suited  to  call  it  forth.  He  was 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  the  Revolution.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  when  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  met  for  that  momentous 
service,  John  Hancock  said,  as  he  affixed  to  it,  the 
first  in  order,  his  own  name  :  "  We  must  be  unani- 
mous ;  we  must  hang  together."  "  Yes,"  said 
Franklin,  "  or  hang  separately."  I  heard  President 
Quincy,  at  a  public  dinner,  give  this  sentiment, 
which  was  received  with  unbounded  enthusiasm  : 
"  The  times  of  the  Revolution,  when  the  only 
question  was  —  shall  we  hang  together,  or  hang 
separately." 

His  characteristic  energy  and  wisdom  were  man- 
ifested during  his  whole  administration  of  the 
college.  He  held  personal  intercourse  with  the 
students.  He  reformed  the  state  of  the  Com- 
mons, made  the  fare  of  the  students  better,  and 
thus  broke  up  that  old  source  of  rebellions  among 
the  classes.  The  studies  became  more  systematic, 
and  electives  began  to  take  the  place  of  compulsory 
work.  The  College  was  expanded  to  a  University ; 
the  Law  School  was  reorganized  ;  Gore  Hall  was 
built,  and  the  Library  enlarged  and  made  more 
secure  from  fire  ;  an  Observatory  was  established, 
and  the  quickened  movements  in  other  directions 
justified  the  subsequent  remark  of  President 
Walker  that  "  Mr.  Quincy  was  the  Great  Organizer 
of  the  University." 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  93 

Mr.  Quincy,  in  speaking  of  the  class  of  1790,  of 
Harvard  College,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and 
its  first  scholar,  says :  "  The  most  talented,  taking 
light  literature  as  the  standard,  was  Joseph  Dennie. 
His  imagination  was  vivid,  and  he  wrote  with 
great  ease  and  felicity."  It  was,  1  think,  at  this 
time  that,  although  Mr.  Dennie  resided  in  Boston, 
he  frequently  visited  Lexington,  and  he  and  my 
father,  of  about  the  same  age,  became  acquainted 
with  each  other.  I  often  heard  him  speak  of 
Joseph  Dennie  as  a  delightful  companion,  full  of 
mirth  and  repartee  ;  his  society  was  most  agreea- 
ble to  one  of  the  same  facetious  disposition.  He 
was  a  perfect  gentleman,  and  attracted  great  inter- 
est among  the  ladies  of  that  quiet  town.  I  believe 
he  married  one  of  these  his  youthful  associates. 

Knowing  well  Mr.  Quincy 's  public  course  in 
subsequent  years,  I  can  readily  conceive  his  friend- 
ship in  youth  for  those  noble  men  of  Boston, 
Samuel  Dexter,  George  Cabot,  Fisher  Ames,  Harri- 
son Gray  Otis,  the  Lowells,  (father  and  son), 
Theophilus  Parsons,  John  Adams  and  his  eminent 
son,  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  others  of  their  circle. 
One  who  knew  him  later,  and  witnessed  his  Chris- 
tian principle  and  rare  magnanimity,  cannot 
question  that,  in  the  heat  of  party  strife,  when 
the  last  named  of  this  bright  train  left  the  Federal 
ranks,  in  which  he  and  Mr.  Quincy  had  always 
been  the  closest  friends,  Mr.  Quincy  wrote  of  his 
companion  to  his  own  wife  :  "I am  glad  you  enter 
into  no  asperities  such  as  you  hear  upon  the  char- 


94  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

acter  of  John  Quincy  Adams.  He  has  just  as  good 
a  right  to  his  sentiments  as  I  have  to  mine.  He 
differs  from  his  political  friends,  and  is  abused. 
Let  us  not  join  in  the  contumely.  It  can  do  us 
no  good,  and  may  do  him  some  hurt."  He  could 
not  always  agree  with  Mr.  Adams  in  his  public 
course,  but  when  he  had  been  stricken  down  at  the 
Capitol,  and  was  no  more,  how  touching  and  noble 
were  these  words  taken  from  his  daily  journal :  — 

February  25,  1848.  —  I  have  to  record  the  loss  of  the 
friend  of  my  youth,  of  my  manhood,  and  of  my  old  age, 
John  Quincy  Adams — on  the  spot  where  his  eloquence 
had  often  triumphed,  and  where  his  varied  powers  were 
so  often  shown,  and  are  now  acknowledged.  Friend  of 
my  life,  farewell !  I  owe  you  for  many  marks  of  favor 
and  kindness.  Many  instances  of  your  affection  and  in- 
terest for  me  are  recorded  in  my  memory,  which  death 
alone  can  obliterate. 

The  interest  of  Mr.  Quincy  in  the  Antislavery 
cause,  partly  for  its  dangers  to  our  national  liber- 
ties, began  in  his  early  life.  While  in  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Senate,  1804-5,  he  took  part  in  a 
movement  for  eliminating  from  the-  National  Con- 
stitution the  article  which  permitted  the  Slave 
States  to  count  three  fifths  of  their  slaves  as  a  part 
of  their  basis  of  representation.  He  more  than 
once  said  to  friends  in  conversation,  in  presence 
of  one  of  his  sons  :  "  You  and  I  may  not  live  to 
see  the  day,  but  before  that  boy  is  off  the  stage, 
he  will  see  this  country  torn  in  pieces  by  the  fierce 
passions  which  are  now  sleeping."     So  true  were 


QUINCY    FAMILY. 


95 


the  prophetic  instincts  of  this  great  man  in  regard 
to  the  day  and  the  scenes  of  our  recent  Civil  War. 

The  services  of  this  devoted  man  cannot  easily 
be  exaggerated.  The  nation  owes  him  a  large 
debt.  While  he  was  in  Congress  the  country  was 
distressed  by  measures  of  the  Democratic  adminis- 
tration creating  commercial  restrictions,  by  the 
embargo,  and  by  our  being  plunged  into  war  with 
Great  Britain.  Mr.  Quincy,  a  warm  Federalist, 
took  his  stand  firmly  as  a  bold  and  eloquent 
opponent  of  all  these  measures.  He  represented 
with  decision  the  feelings  and  the  judgment  of  his 
constituents.  He  drew  up  the  strong  address  of 
the  minority  of  Congress ;  and  his  speeches  were 
delivered  with  that  dignity,  power,  and  point 
which  we,  who  in  subsequent  years  heard  his 
voice  at  home,  feel  sure  must  have  made  a  deep 
and  —  on  all  who  were  not  arrayed  against  him 
by  party  hostility  —  a  convincing  impression. 
They  are  among  the  best  political  records  of  those 
eventful  times.  His  broad  and  wise  views,  his 
mastery  of  all  financial  questions,  his  demand  for  a 
more  perfect  protection  of  our  maritime  rights, 
his  just  appreciation  of  our  foreign  relations,  and 
the  high-toned  patriotism  which  pervaded  his 
whole  course,  will  excite  the  admiration  of  future 
generations.  Among  the  very  able  men  of  those 
days  he  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder,  in  counsel 
and  in  conduct,  a  peer  of  whom  Rome  or  Sparta 
might  have  been  proud. 

During  his  Mayoralty  in  Boston,  he  was  earnest 


96  KEMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  every  good  work  for  the  improvement  of  the 
city.  He  reorganized  the  Fire  Department,  estab- 
lished the  House  of  Reformation  for  juvenile 
offenders,  and  the  Girls'  High  School,  under  charge 
of  Mr.  Ebenezer  Bailey;  but  the  noblest  of  his 
benefactions  was  the  erection  of  the  great  Quincy 
Market-house,  at  the  cost,  eventually,  of  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

He  was  indefatigable  in  the  use  of  his  strong  and 
cultivated  intellect  in  the  production  of  several 
valuable  works  by  his  pen  :  the  Life  of  his  father, 
Josiah  Quincy,  Jr. ;  the  History  of  the  Boston  Athe- 
naeum, 1851 ;  the  Life  of  Colonel  Samuel  Shaw ;  the 
Municipal  History  of  Boston,  in  1852  ;  the  Life  of 
John  Quincy  Adams ;  and  the  elaborate  and  com- 
plete History  of  Harvard  University,  in  two  large 
volumes.  It  is  not  saying  too  much  to  affirm  that 
no  man,  in  the  cluster  of  distinguished  benefactors 
in  our  history,  has  combined  in  himself  more  rare 
excellences  as  a  patriot,  a  statesman,  a  vigorous 
and  classical  writer,  or  broader  views  on  the  great 
subjects  of  education,  philanthropy,  social  econ- 
omy, and  the  wide  financial  and  public  good  of  the 
community,  with  a  practical  illustration  of  sound 
principles  in  their  best  action,  than  Josiah  Quincy. 

His  personal  character,  not  only  intellectual,  but 
moral  and  thoroughly  Christian,  will  stand  the 
test  of  history.  Future  generations  will  respond 
to  the  testimonial  given  by  his  cotemporaries,  on 
the  recommendation  of  Mayor  Cobb,  October  11, 
1879,   and   from  the    fund  left  the  city  by  Hon. 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  97 

Jonathan  Phillips  —  in  the  erection  of  that  impos- 
ing statue  in  Boston,  which  will  speak  of  his 
virtues  to  the  eye  that  looks  upon  it,  in  the  midst 
of  the  thronged  city  for  whose  welfare  he  labored 
so  faithfully  and  with  such  success.  And  so  of 
that  other  beautiful  figure  in  Memorial  Hall,  Cam- 
bridge, which  shows  him  in  his  office  as  the  head 
of  our  University,  an  example  and  an  inspiration 
to  those  who  in  coming  years  shall  resort  to  its 
walls  for  literary  instruction,  and  who  will  be  sure 
to  honor  the  place  of  their  education  if  they  carry 
from  it  the  integrity,  the  earnestness,  the  patriotic 
and  Christian  virtues,  which  marked  his  character 
and  will  perpetuate  his  influence. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  there  have 
been  six  in  this  family  named  Josiah,  several  of 
them  to  be  noticed  for  their  ability  and  public  ser- 
vices, and  three  at  least  very  prominent.  The 
oldest  was  born  April  1,  1710.  His  son,  Josiah 
Quincy,  Jr.,  was  born  in  February,  1744.  His  in- 
tense, almost  agonized,  spirit  is  embodied  in  the 
address  of  a  Committee  to  the  Provincial  Congress, 
dated  July  26,  1774,  and  written  by  their  Chair- 
man, Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.,  —  the  tone  of  which 
seems  to  resound  along  the  illustrious  line  of  that 
family :  "  You,  gentlemen,  our  friends,  country- 
men, and  benefactors,  may  possibly  look  toward  us 
at  this  great  crisis.  We  trust  that  we  shall  not  be 
left  of  Heaven  to  do  anything  derogatory  to  our 
common  liberties,  unworthy  the  fame  of  our  ances- 
tors, or  inconsistent  with   our  former  professions 


98  KEMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  conduct.  To  you  we  look  for  that  wisdom, 
advice,  and  example,  which,  giving  strength  to  our 
understanding  and  vigor  to  our  actions,  shall,  with 
the  blessing  of  God,  save  us  from  destruction." 

In  an  edition  of  President  Quincy's  most  valu- 
able and  interesting  memoir  of  his  father,  which 
was  prepared  by  his  patriotic  and  gifted  daughter, 
Miss  Eliza  S.  Quincy,  we  have  a  note  which  exhibits 
an  instance  of  the  noble  spirit  of  her  father :  — 

Two  thousand  pounds  sterling  were  bequeathed  by 
the  will  of  Mr.  Quincy  to  Harvard  College,  in  case  his 
son  should  die  a  minor.  His  son  lived  and  became  pres- 
ident of  the  University  in  1829,  held  that  office  sixteen 
years,  and  survived  to  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  Un- 
willing that  the  college  should  lose  the  bequest  of  his 
father,  he  gave,  in  1848,  ten  thousand  dollars,  as  an  equiv- 
alent for  the  loss  the  institution  had  sustained  by  the 
continuance  of  his  own  life.  He  gave  this  donation  to 
the  publishing  fund  of  the  Observator}^  founded  by  his 
exertions  during  his  presidency,  and  directed  that  the 
following  sentence  should  be  inscribed  on  the  titlepage 
of  every  volume  the  expense  of  which  was  defrayed  from 
this  source  :  "  Printed  from  funds  resulting  from  the 
will  of  Josiah  Quincy,  who  died  April  26,  1775,  leaving 
a  name  inseparably  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
American  Revolution." 

After  a  prolonged  life  of  most  active  service  to 
his  country,  to  the  interests  of  education,  and,  by 
his  pen,  to  the  cause  of  good  letters,  Mr.  Quincy 
still  showed  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  col- 
lege over  which  he  had  so  long  and  so  faithfully 
presided.     The  very  last  year  of    his  life  he  at- 


QUINCY    FAMILY.  99 

tended  its  Commencement,  and  it  was  a  touching 
spectacle  to  see  that  venerated  man,  disabled  both 
by  age  and  an  unfortunate  accident,  supported  by 
his  eldest  son,  a  model  of  filial  respect  and  affec- 
tion, as  he  entered  the  audience  room.  The  vast 
company  rose  as  one  man,  with  a  salutation  that 
found  expression  in  the  heartiest  applause ;  and 
we  were  thrilled,  at  the  dinner  table  on  that  day,  to 
hear  the  voice  of  the  aged  patriot  still  loyal  to  the 
memories  of  his  best  days. 

"  I  want,"  said  the  sage,  hero,  and  patriot  within 
a  few  months  of  his  death,  "  to  live  to  see  this  War 
of  the  Rebellion  through."  But,  although  he  was 
called  to  his  reward  before  seeing  that  issue,  dy- 
ing July  1,  1864,  it  must  have  cheered  his  closing 
days  to  reflect  that  he  had  lived  to  see  a  grandson 
in  that  war,  General  Samuel  M.  Quincy,  who 
served  in  it  with  distinction,  and  survived  among 
those  who  received  the  honor  and  gratitude  of  the 
country  they  did  so  much  to  save. 

I  should  do  injustice  to  this  family  not  to  name, 
among  its  departed  worthies,  Edmund,  son  of 
President  Quincy,  born  February  1,  1808,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1827.  An  early 
advocate  of  the  Antislavery  cause,  he  never  hesi- 
tated to  speak  and  to  act  whenever  he  could 
advance  its  interests.  Who  that  ever  saw  him  can 
forget  his  noble  figure,  his  benevolent  face,  the 
urbanity  of  his  manner,  and  his  pleasing  address  ? 
I  never  conversed  with  him,  I  never  saw  him, 
without   bein^    reminded   of    his  honored   father. 


100  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

His  self-possession  and  dignity,  his  logical  acumen, 
his  union  of  sound  sense  with  keen  wit,  were  seen 
in   public   speech.     In  consecration   to   the   great 
interests  of  liberty,  in  his  manly  defence  of  the 
humblest  who  needed  its  shield,  in  his  literary  cul- 
ture, and  his  political  and  miscellaneous  writings, 
especially  in  that  model   biography  he  has  left  us 
of  his  distinguished  father,  we  have  abundant  ma- 
terials for  a  respectful,  pleasant,  and  never  fading 
remembrance  of   him.     We   may  well  say  of  this, 
his  closing  production,   breathing  as  it  does    the 
spirit  of  this  grand  old  family,  —  whether  we  re- 
gard  the  writer  or  his  subject,  —  the  tribute  of  a 
worthy  son  to  a  worthy  sire.     We  find  his  name 
in    the    old    Massachusetts    Antislavery    Society, 
where  he  labored    with    zeal    in    its   most  trying 
period.     The   officers   of   that   society    were,    for 
many  years,  Francis  Jackson,  president,  Edmund 
Quincy,  corresponding  secretary,    and   Robert  F. 
Walcott,  secretary,  and  still  living. 


DANIEL    WEBSTER. 


CHAPTER   V. 

LINCOLN     FAMILY. 

A  personal  acquaintance  with  many  members 
of  the  large  Lincoln  family  :  with  Luther  B.  Lin- 
coln, as  a  schoolmate  in  the  academy  of  Westford 
where  I  was  prepared  for  college,  a  young  man 
of  most  amiable  and  attractive  qualities  of  char- 
acter, who  won  "  troops  of  friends  "  wherever  he 
was  known,  who  stood  high  as  a  scholar,  was  a  pat- 
tern of  application  and  earnestness  in  every  liter- 
ary pursuit,  and  successful  afterward  as  a  school- 
teacher ;  with  Rev.  Calvin  Lincoln,  a  cotemporary 
in  the  Christian  ministry,  whom  I  knew  well  as 
the  secretary  for  some  years  of  the  American 
Unitarian  Association,  not  less  loved  as  a  man  than 
honored  for  his  consecration  to  his  work,  his 
excellent  judgment  and  practical  ability  in  all 
business  affairs ;  with  my  good  friend,  Hosea  H. 
Lincoln,  the  friend  of  a  whole  generation  passed 
by  him  at  the  head  of  one  of  our  Boston  schools  ; 
and  with  others  whom  my  limits  forbid  me  to 
name,  —  and,  not  least,  the  circumstance  that 
of  the  stock  of  Thomas  Lincoln  "  the  husband- 
man"  came    my  maternal    grandmother,   Rachel 


102  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Lincoln,  who  exhibited  in  herself  the  rare  qualities 
of  .this  good  i  old  lineage,  in  patriotic  sympathy 
with  her  husband,  a  Revolutionary  officer,  her  life 
spared  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six,  wise, 
dignified,  beloved  by  the  large  circle  of  her  kin- 
dred, and  sought  as  a  kind  neighbor,  an  intelli- 
gent adviser,  her  hand  as  ready  to  help  as  her 
heart  was  to  prompt  it  in  daily  offices  of  love 
and  good-will,  —  all  these  associations  make  the 
writer  deeply  interested  in  this  ancient  family. 

The  origin  of  the  Liacoln  family  can  be  traced 
back  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln,  England,  as  early 
as  1619.  Dr.  Young  in  his  "  Chronicles  of  the  Pil- 
grims," says  :  "  The  Lincolns  had  a  more  intimate 
connection  with  the  New  England  settlements,  and 
must  have  felt  a  deeper  interest  in  their  success, 
than  any  other  noble  house  in  England."  This 
opinion  is  confirmed  by  Cotton  Mather  in  his 
"Magnalia;"  he  speaks  of  the  family  as  "relig- 
ious," and  "  the  best  family  of  any  nobleman  then 
in  England." 

Governor  Dudley  wrote  to  the  Countess  of  Lin- 
coln, from  Newtowne  (Cambridge),  under  date  of 
March  28,  1631,  in  relation  to  recent  losses  by  fire, 
and  says,  in  "  our  new  town,  intended  this  summer 
to  be  builded,  we  have  ordered  that  no  man  there 
shall  build  his  chimney  with  wood,  nor  cover  his 
house  with  thatch."  It  is  fortunate,  with  our  taste 
for  genealogy,  that  we  can  go  back  to  so  early  a 
date.  We  in  the  East  do  not  sympathize  in  this  re- 
spect   with   the  habit   of  some    other  portions   of 


LINCOLN    FAMILY.  103 

the  country.  Abraham  Lincoln,  when  in  Boston, 
was  questioned  by  some  of  the  Lincoln  family 
about  his  ancestry.  "  Well,"  he  replied,  "  I  don't 
know  much  about  that ;  few  people  out  West 
care  to  go  any  further  back  than  their  grand- 
fathers." 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  country,  named 
Lincoln,  came  from  Norfolk  County  in  England, 
and  they  were  all  more  or  less  related  to  each 
other.  They  were  then  designated  by  their  sev- 
eral occupations.  Thus  we  have  Thomas  the  Hus- 
bandman, Thomas  the  Weaver,  Thomas  the  Miller, 
and  Thomas  the  Cooper  Of  these  Lincolns, 
Thomas  the  Weaver  came  from  Hingham,  Norfolk 
County,  England,  and  his  brother  Samuel  from 
Norwich,  the  chief  town  of  the  same  County. 
Samuel  came  first  to  Salem,  Massachusetts,  and 
went  thence  to  Hingham.  Samuel  had  a  son 
named  Mordecai,  born  at  Hingham  in  1651 ;  he 
settled  in  Scituate  in  1700.  Mordecai  had  a  son 
named  Jacob ;  Jacob  had  a  son  named  Solomon. 

Thomas  the  Husbandman  came  from  Windham, 
Norfolk  County  in  England,  and  settled  in  Hing- 
ham, Massachusetts.  This  town  was  named  for 
Hingham,  a  market-town  and  parish  in  Norfolk 
County,  England.  Windham,  five  and  a  half  miles 
west-northwest  of  Hingham,  is  now  Wymondam, 
so  called  from  a  prominent  family  in  the  original 
place,  named  Wymond,  the  syllable  ham  signify- 
ing "  home,"  the  "  home  of  the  Wymonds."  Hing- 
ham, Massachusetts,  was  formally  settled  September 
18,  1635,  by  Rev.  Peter  Hobart  and  twenty-nine 


104  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

others  who  drew  houselots  on  that  day.  Within 
three  subsequent  years  large  numbers  were  added 
to  these,  embracing,  with  the  first  comers,  nearly 
all  the  old  families  which  have  been  conspicuous 
in  that  town. 

In  1638  Thomas  the  Husbandman,  —  made  Free- 
man in  1637,  —  and  Stephen  his  brother,  —  who 
also  came  from  Windham,  and  went  first  to  Salem, 
thence  to  Hingham,  —  received  grants  of  houselots. 
Thomas  the  Husbandman  has  numerous  descend- 
ants in  Hingham,  in  the  County  of  Worcester,  and 
in  other  parts  of  Massachusetts.  There  are  distin- 
guished men  of  this  family,  who  have  rendered 
valuable  services  to  their  communities  in  civil  and 
military  offices. 

Thomas  the  Husbandman,  born  probably  in  1616, 
had  four  sons,  Joshua,  Thomas,  Caleb  and  Luke. 

Joshua,  son  of  Thomas,  was  baptized  May  3, 1645. 

Thomas,  son  of  Thomas,  was  born  December  22, 
1652. 

Caleb,  son  of  Thomas,  born  May  8,  probably  in 
1654,  married  Rachel,  daughter  of  James  Bates. 
Their  children  were  Joshua,  Peter,  Caleb,  Jacob, 
Solomon,  Thomas,  and  Ebenezer. 

Luke,  son  of  Thomas,  born  March  27,  probably 
in  1698,  in  Scituate,  removed  to  Leicester,  where 
he  held  public  office,  being  selectman  in  1747;  he 
married  Lydia  Loring,  daughter  of  David  Loring 
of  Barnstable. 

The  children  of  Luke  and  Lydia  (Loring)  Lin- 
coln were  five  in  number. 

(1)  William  was  born  May  23,  1738. 


LINCOLN    FAMILY.  105 

(2)  Rachel,  born  August  7, 1741, married,  January 
21, 1768,  Colonel  Timothy  Boutelle  of  Leominster. 

(3)  Loring,  born  May  6,  1744,  married  Dorothy 
Moore.  They  lived  in  Greenboro,  Vermont.  He 
was  a  captain  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and 
was  eight  months  in  the  Continental  army. 

(4)  Lydia  was  born  January  18,  1746. 

(5)  Mary,  born  October  10,  1754,  married,  in 
1778,  Asa  Meriam  of  Oxford,  Massachusetts.  They 
had  only  one  child.  The  town  of  Oxford  is  re- 
markable as  the  place  in  which,  in  1636,  thirty  fami- 
lies of  the  Protestant  refugees  from  France  took 
up  their  residence,  in  consequence  of  the  Revoca- 
tion of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV.  in  1634. 

Stephen  Lincoln,  son  of  Stephen,  who  came' from 
Windham,  England,  had  only  one  son,  Stephen. 
Stephen,  son  of  Stephen,  son  of  Stephen,  had  three 
sons:  Stephen,  born  probably  in  1666,  who  had 
a  descendant  in  Hingham,  Alexander  Lincoln, 
who  died  October  7,  1879 ;  David,  born  September 
22,  1668;    James,  born  October  26,  1681. 

The  descendants  of  Stephen  Lincoln,  brother  of 
Thomas  the  Husbandman,  many  of  whom  are  now 
(1882)  living,  have  been  confined  largely  to  the 
limits  of  Hingham. 

Isaac  Lincoln,  born  Jan.  18,  1701-2,  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  College  in  1722,  and  for  a  long 
term  of  years  a  public  school-teacher  in  Hingham. 

Abner  Lincoln,  born  July  7,  1766,  was  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  College  in  1788,  and  the  first 
preceptor  of  Derby  Academy.  He  was  an  accom- 
plished scholar  and  a  successful  teacher. 


106  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Rev.  Perez  Lincoln,  born  February  9,  1767,  was 
a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1795,  and  was  a 
minister  in  Gloucester. 

Rev.  Calvin  Lincoln,  born  in  Hingham,  Novem- 
ber 1800,  died  September  11,  1881,  aged  eighty- 
one  years  and  ten  months.  He  fell  from  paralysis 
in  his  pulpit,  and  while  in  the  act  of  devotion  on 
the  day  set  apart  for  prayers  in  behalf  of  President 
Garfield.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1820  ;  was  minister  at  Fitchburg  many  years;  re- 
signed in  1855,  and  was  Secretary  of  the  American 
Unitarian  Association  a  few  years.  He  was  after- 
ward settled  over  the  First  Parish  in  Hingham  — 
its  church  edifice  being,  it  is  said,  the  oldest  still 
usedffor  worship  in  this  country, — and  its  sole  pas- 
tor till  his  death,  excepting  three  years,  when  Rev. 
Edward  Augustus  Horton  was  his  colleauge.  Be- 
loved by  all  denominations  and  all  classes,  he  had 
the  reverence  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  a  devout,  earnest,  and  faithful  minister,  and 
the  oldest  living  pastor  in  his  denomination  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Hon.  David  Wilder,  in  his  History  of  Leomin- 
ster, says  of  Rachel  Lincoln  :  "  She  was  the  wife  of 
Colonel  Timothy  Boutelle  of  this  town,  a  daughter 
of  Captain  Luke  Lincoln  of  Leicester,  and  her 
genealogy  may  be 'traced  back  to  a  near  relation- 
ship with  the  late  distinguished  General  Lincoln  of 
Hingham."  This  is  unquestionably  true.  Al- 
though all  the  Lincolns  did  not  come  from  the 
same  town,  Hingham,  in  England,  they  did  come 
from  the  same  county,  Norfolk,   and  were  living 


LINCOLN    FAMILY.  107 

v 

but  a  few  miles  from  each  other  at  the  time  of 
their  emigration  to  this  country.  Their  family 
attachments  have  always  been  strong  from  the 
earliest  accounts  we  have  of  them.  They  all  clus- 
tered in  a  near  neighborhood  to  each  other  in  the 
Old  World,  there  is  the  best  reason  to  believe,  as 
they  have  in  the  New.  Their  characteristics  have 
borne  in  every  branch  of  the  family  a  striking  re- 
semblance. Friends  of  good  learning,  a  large 
number  of  them  have  been  graduates  of  Harvard 
and  other  colleges, — patrons  and  earnest  supporters 
of  our  public  schools  and  academies,  and  men  of 
high  principles,  public-spirited  and  uniformly  pat- 
riotic. It  is  but  justice  to  dwell  on  individuals  who 
have  honored  the  name. 

Our  subject  leads  us  to  speak  of  Benjamin  Lin- 
coln of  Revolutionary  fame.  His  military  career 
stands  out  brightly  in  the  annals  of  that  war 
which  established  our  national  independence.  His 
father  held  a  colonel's  commission  in  England.  The 
son  was  born  in  Hingham,  January  24,  1733,  and 
died  May  9,  1810,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  His 
direct  ancestor,  Thomas  Lincoln  the  Cooper, 
came  from  Hingham  in  England  to  Hingham  in 
Massachusetts  in  1636.  Benjamin  Lincoln  was  a 
farmer  until  forty  years  old.  He  held  many  civil 
offices,  and  was  a  major-general  of  the  State  militia 
early  in  the  Revolution. 

At  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  General 
Lincoln  led  a  company,  although  not  its  commis- 
sioned   captain,    from    Hingham  to    that  vicinity. 


108  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

An  incident  shows  the  deplorable  destitution  of 
some  of  our  men  at  that  period.  On  his  return 
home,  Israel  Beal,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of 
Public  Safety  in  Hingham,  said  to  him :  "  Well, 
General,  did  you  see  the  red-coats  ?  "  "  Yes,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Did  ye  get  a  shot  at  'em  ?  "  "  No." 
"  Well,  it  seems  to  me,  General,  I  would  have  got 
one  shot  at  'em."  "The  fact  is,  Mr.  Beal,"  said 
Lincoln,  "  we  had  no  ammunition." 

Lincoln  was  in  1776  a  brigadier-general,  and 
soon  after  was  made  a  major-general  in  the  Conti- 
nental army ;  he  joined  Gates's  command,  opposed 
Burgoyne's  advance,  and  aided  in  his  final  defeat 
and  capture,  and  held  many  important  commands 
during  his  long  service.  From  his  sound  judgment, 
cautious,  yet  brave,  determined,  and  indefatigable, 
he  secured  in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  of 
Washington.  In  the  battle  of  Bemis's  Heights  he 
received  a  wound  in  his  right  leg,  which  eventually 
rendered  it  two  inches  shorter  than  the  other, 
caused  him  great  suffering,  and  compelled  him  to 
walk  lame  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

In  September,  1778,  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  Southern  Army,  with  1100  men.  At  Fort 
Moultrie  he  was  compelled  to  surrender ;  but 
although  unsuccessful  also  in  the  attack  on  Savan- 
nah and  the  defence  of  Charleston,  he  had  through 
the  whole  campaign  the  confidence  of  Washington, 
of  Congress,  of  the  army,  and  all  the  patriotic 
men  of  the  South.  He  possessed  wit  as  well  as 
wisdom.     While  on  the  Savannah  River,  two  ropes 


LINCOLN    FAMILY. 


109 


having  been  broken  in  the  attempt  to  hang  a  de- 
serter of  his  command,  Lincoln,  when  applied  to 
for  directions,  replied,  "  Let  him  go ;  I  always 
thought  he  was  a  scape-gallows." 

After  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  in  1781,  having 
had  a  full  share  in  the  operations  at  that  place,  he, 
in  common  with  Lafayette  and  Steuben,  was  pub- 
licly thanked  in  Washington's  general  orders, 
October  20.  On  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis, 
that  haughty  nobleman  was  compelled  to  accept 
the  very  same  terms  of  capitulation,  in  manner 
and  style,  which  he  had  imposed  upon  General 
Lincoln  at  the  siege  of  Charleston.  On  his  march 
to  the  North  with  a  portion  of  the  army  after 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  General  Lincoln 
received  notice  of  his  appointment  by  Congress  as 
the  first  Secretary  of  War,  on  a  salary  of  four 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  being  allowed  at  the 
same  time  to  retain,  without  pay,  his  rank  in  the 
army.  In  October,  1783,  when  Congress  accepted 
his  resignation  as  Secretary  of  War,  they  voted 
"  that  he  be  informed  that  the  United  States  in 
Congress  Assembled  entertain  a  high  sense  of  his 
perseverance,  fortitude,  activity,  and  meritorious 
services  in  the  field,  as  well  as  his  diligence,  fidel- 
ity, and  capacity  in  the  execution  of  the  office  of 
Secretary  of  War,  which  important  trusts  he  has 
discharged  to  their  entire  approbation." 

Governor  Bowdoin,  in  1787,  placed  General  Lin- 
coln at  the  head  of  the  militia  to  suppress  the 
Shays  Rebellion,  which  had  assumed  formidable  pro- 


110  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

portions.  January  20,  with  forty-four  hundred 
men  he  marched  rapidly  through  Worcester,  Hamp- 
den, and  Berkshire  counties,  and,  although  the 
rebels  were  decided  and  in  force,  he  succeeded,  by 
his  wise,  firm,  and  yet  cautious  movements,  in  dis- 
persing them  completely  without  a  drop  of  blood 
being  shed  by  the  men  under  his  command ;  al- 
though, in  the  sequel,  about  eight  hundred  persons 
were  brought  as  insurgents  before  a  commission 
consisting  of. Benjamin  Lincoln,  Samuel  Phillips, 
Jr.,  and  Samuel  A.  Otis,  a  name  ever  honored  in 
the  hour  of  peril  to  the  country  and  state.  Some 
thirteen  men  were  convicted  of  treason  and  sen- 
tenced to  death,  but  afterward  pardoned.  As  a 
curious  relic  of  barbarous  punishment,  a  seditious 
member  of  the  Legislature  was  sentenced  to  sit  on 
the  gallows  with  a  rope  about  his  neck,  and  to  pay 
a  fine  of  fifty  pounds. 

Lincoln  was  chosen  lieutenant-governor  of 
Massachusetts  in  1788,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
convention  which  ratified  the  Federal  Constitution. 
He  was  early  a  member  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  and  was  president  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Society  of  the  Cincinnati  from  its 
organization  until  his  death.  The  confidence  be- 
stowed by  Washington  upon  Lincoln,  from  his 
entrance  on  public  life  to  the  close  of  his  active 
career,  is  remarkable.  So  early  as  1776,  during  the 
siege  of  Boston,  his  military  capability,  as  major- 
general  of  the  State  militia,  was  noticed  by  Wash- 
ington.    The  same  year  he  was  sent  by  Massachu- 


LINCOLN    FAMILY. 


Ill 


setts  to  Long  Island  to  join  the  commander-in-chief. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains  and  at  Mor- 
ristown,  and  was  by  State  influence  raised  to  the 
rank  of  major-general  in  the  Continental  service. 
After  prominence  in  the  army  at  several  other 
places,  he  joined  Washington  in  1781  on  the  Hud- 
son, and  co-operated  in  the  siege  of  Yorktown 
with  distinction.  After  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis,  the  honor  of  receiving  the  sword  of  the 
British  commander,  was  given  by  Washington  to 
Lincoln.  On  the  establishment  of  the  Federal 
government  his  friends  were  anxious  he  should 
have  an  office  in  it.  Among  these  was  Rev.  Joseph 
Jackson  of  Boston,  who  called  on  Washington  to 
speak  in  his  favor  :  "  I  will  give  you,"  said  he  with 
his  usual  decided  economy  of  time,  "  fifteen  min- 
utes to  talk."  He  began  by  naming  Lincoln.  "  You 
need  not  go  on,"  said  the  President ;  "  I  know  all 
about  General  Lincoln."  Washington  at  once 
gave  the  first  appointment  of  collector  of  Boston, 
the  best  office  in  New  England,  to  his  old  friend 
and  favorite,  in  which  office  Lincoln  remained 
until  about  two  years  before  his  death,  showing 
in  it  a  clear  judgment,  spotless  integrity,  and  prac- 
tical sagacity  which  fitted  him  eminently  for  the 
situation.  His  keen  sense  of  honor  led  him  to 
offer  President  Jefferson,  from  whom  he  differed  in 
politics,  his  resignation,  although  he  was  induced 
to  withdraw  it. 

General  Lincoln  retained  the  plain  and  simple 
habits  of  his  early  farmer's  life  to  the  last.  He 
was  accustomed,  when  in  the  Boston  collectorship, 


112  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

to  return  to  his  home  in  Hingham  at  night  by  the 
packet  from  Long  Wharf.  Walking  one  day  from 
his  office  on  State  Street  clown  to  the  packet,  he 
was  met  by  his  young  friend  Samuel  May,  who  saw 
him  coming,  lame  and  limping  from  a  wound 
which  he  received  at  the  taking  of  Burgoyne,  with 
a  pair  of  boots  in  his  hand.  Young  May,  feeling  it 
out  of  place  for  a  man  in  Lincoln's  high  position  to 
be  carrying  such  things  in  his  hand,  asked  the 
privilege  of  taking  them  to  the  vessel  for  him. 
a  No,  thank  you,  my  dear,"  said  the  General  ; 
"  when  I  get  so  old  I  can't  carry  my  own  boots  I'll 
go  without."  His  wit  was  always  ready.  Dr. 
Waterhouse  of  Cambridge,  a  warm  friend,  often 
called  at  his  office,  and  on  one  occasion  inquired  of 
him  if  his  daughter  Mary  was  still  in  Hingham. 
"No,  sir,"  was  the  reply.  When  about  leaving, 
the  Doctor  again  remarked :  "  Then  you  said,  Gen- 
eral, that  Mary  was  not  in  Hingham  ?  "  "  No,  sir," 
was  the  answer,  "  she  is  there,  but  not  still  in 
Hingham,  —  she  is  never  still  anywhere." 

Between  Generals  Knox  and  Lincoln,  who  resem- 
bled each  other  in  person,  there  was  great  inti- 
macy. Knox,  who  was  rich  at  one  time,  named 
for  his  friend  Lincoln  a  township  he  owned. 
Engaging  afterward  in  Eastern  land  speculations, 
and  being  withal  of  expensive  habits,  he  became 
greatly  involved,  and  Lincoln  kindly  endorsed  his 
notes.  He  was  urged  to  evade  his  responsibility, 
but  he  refused  to  do  this.  His  old  friend  Israel 
Beal  came  forward,  and  said  to  Lincoln  :  "  General, 
I  have  a  hundred  silver  dollars  in  my  house  that 


LINCOLN    FAMILY.  113 

you  are  entirely  welcome  to."  To  which  the  vet- 
eran replied,  with  eyes  fall  of  tears  :  "  Mr.  Beal,  I 
thank  you,  but  it  would  be  a  drop  in  the  bucket." 
We  are  glad  to  know  that  Knox,  having  lands 
transferred  to  him  in  Maine,  finally  relieved  Lin- 
coln of  his  burden. 

The  correspondence  of  Knox  with  Washington, 
Lafayette,  and  other  distinguished  men,  amounting 
to  fifty-six  folio  volumes,  has  recently,  1882,  been 
presented  to  the  New  England  Historic  Genealog- 
ical Society,  and  will  be  to  future  generations  a  tes- 
timonial of  inestimable  value  to  the  services  of 
General  Knox,  General  Lincoln,  and  his  other  asso- 
ciates in  the  toils,  perils,  and  sufferings,  by  which 
our  National  Independence  was  achieved,  the  foun- 
dations of  our  government  securely  laid,  and  its 
work  commenced. 

General  Lincoln's  home  was  in  Hingham  to  the 
last,  and  the  house  in  which  he  was  born  and  died 
is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandchildren, 
who  are  the  seventh  generation  who  have  lived 
there.  The  estate  has  descended  in  a  direct  line 
from  the  ancestor  who  settled  there  in  1636.  Six 
generations  of  Lincolns  have  been  born  on  that 
spot,  and  each  family  had  a  son  named  Benjamin. 
The  General  died  May  9,  1810,  a  little  more  than 
seventy-seven  years  of  age.  His  remains  were 
followed  to  the  tomb  that  stands  on  an  elevation  in 
the  cemetery  —  near  the  unique  old  meeting-house 
built  in  1680,  within  whose  walls  he  had  so  long 
worshipped  —  by  a  long  train  of  relatives,  friends, 
and  surviving  companions  in  arms. 

8 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PARKER      FAMILY. 

The  name  of  Parker  has  many  claims  to  notice 
in  a  biographical  work  on  the  Revolution.  On  the 
roll  of  the  men  in  Captain  John  Parker's  company 
which  stood  on  Lexington  Common,  April  19, 
1775,  there  were  four  of  this  name :  John  the 
commander  of  the  company,  Jonas  who  fell  in  the 
battle  that  morning,  Ebenezer  a  corporal,  and 
Thaddeus ;  of  whom  the  two  latter  were  afterward 
in  the  Continental  service,  —  one  for  eight  months, 
the  other  at  Cambridge  the  month  following  the 
battle  of  Lexington,  —  and  the  last,  Thaddeus,  was 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  I  recollect  John, 
the  son  of  Captain  Parker,  well ;  and  his  grandson, 
the  distinguished  Theodore  Parker,  was  a  school- 
mate with  me  at  Lexington. 

The  ancestor  of  this  family,  Thomas  Parker, 
born  in  1609,  came  from  London,  England,  March 
11,  1635,  and  settled  in  Lynn  the  same  year.  He 
was  made  Freeman  in  1637.  He  removed  to  Read- 
ing, where  he  aided  in  establishing  a  church,  of 
w^hich  he  became  deacon.  By  his  wife,  Amy,  he 
had  eleven  children.    Of  these  Joseph,  born  in  1642, 


PARKER    FAMILY.  115 

died  1644.  Nathaniel  was  born  May  16,  1651. 
Jonathan,  born  May  18,  1656,  died  in  1683,  aged 
twenty-seven  ;  his  wife  died  January  15,  1690. 

Hananiah,  the  second  son,  born  in  1638,  mar- 
ried first,  September  30,  1663,  Elizabeth  Brown. 
She  died  in  1698,  and  he  married  second,  Mrs. 
Mary  Wright,  widow  of  Deacon  John  Wright,  of 
Watertown.  He  died  March  10,  1724  ;  she  died 
January  4,  1736,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  He 
lived  in  Reading,  and  had  the  then  honored  office 
of  Lieutenant.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
the  first,  John,  born  in  1664,  came  to  Lexington 
about  1712.  According  to  a  deed,  dated  June  25, 
1712,  he  bought  the  original  family  estate  in  Cam- 
bridge Farms,  afterward  Lexington,  containing 
"  one  small  mansion,  and  sixty  acres  of  land."  He 
must  have  been  a  prominent  man  in  town,  since  in 
"  seating  the  meeting-house,"  in  which  reference 
was  had  to  age,  property,  and  rank,  he  was  placed 
in  the  second  seat,  with  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens.  His  wife  died  March  10,  1718 ;  and  he 
died  January  22,  1741,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 
They  had  iive  children,  of  whom  Josiah,  born  April 
11,  1694,  married  December  8,  1718,  Anna  Stone, 
daughter  of  John  and  Rachel  (Shepard)  Stone. 
He  was  honored  with  the  office  of  Lieutenant,  and 
filled  several  town  offices,  being  chosen  town-clerk 
four  years,  an  assessor  from  1726  to  1755,  with 
intervals,  and  selectman  seven  years.  Josiah 
Parker  and  wife  were  united  to  the  church,  August 
13,  1719.     He   died  October  9,  1756,  aged  sixty- 


116  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

two ;  she  died  September  8,  1760.  They  had 
eight  children,  of  whom,  John,  born  July  13, 
1729,  married  May  22,  1755,  Lydia  Moore.  They 
joined  the  church  October  31,  1756. 

John  Parker  was  a  prominent  man  in  Lexing- 
ton. He  was  chosen  assessor  in  1764-65-66-74. 
When,  in  1774  and  early  in  1775,  the  town  of 
Lexington  made  an  effort  to  organize  a  company 
of  minute-men,  we  have  a  record  over  his  signature 
in  this  language,  which  shows  his  military  leader- 
ship, and  seems  the  first  note  of  preparation  for 
the  bloody  drama  so  soon  to  be  enacted :  — 

Agreeable  to  the  vote  of  the  town  I  have  received  by 
the  hands  of  the  Selectmen  the  drums  —  there  were  two 
—  provided  by  the  town  for  the  use  of  the  Military 
Company,  in  this  town,  until  the  further  order  of  the 
town. 

John  Parker. 

Lexington,  March  14,  1775. 

But  his  greatest  distinction  was  the  part  he  took 
in  the  beginning  of  the  military  operations  of  the 
Revolution.  Ten  British  officers  rode  up  from 
Boston  on  the  evening  of  April  18,  toward  Lex- 
ington, hoping  to  intercept  any  news  of  the 
movement  of  troops  toward  Concord.  They  dined 
on  their  way  at  Cambridge. 

The  Provincial  Committee  of  Safety —  Orne,  Lee. 
Gray,  and  Heath  —  had  adjourned  from  Concord  to 
Menotomy,  now  Arlington.  On  the  arrival  there 
of  the  British  troops,  at  midnight,  they  waked,  and 


PARKER    FAMILY. 


117 


ran,  without  dressing,  into  a  field  to  elude  them. 
Dr.  Warren,  a  member  of  this  committee,  was 
meanwhile  in  Boston,  watching  the  movements 
there.  Both  sides  were  anxious  to  avoid  firing  the 
first  shot.  The  Continental  and  the  Provincial 
congresses  cautioned  their  committees,  and  the 
people  generally,  to  use  great  forbearance. 

John    Parker    commanded    the   company    who 
stood    bravely    at    their    post    on    the     19th    of 
April,  1775,  —  some  seventy  men,  confronted  by 
six  hundred  British  regulars.     Although  the  com- 
pany contained  such   men  as  Lieutenant  Edmund 
Munroe,  and  Ensign  Robert  Munroe,  who  had  held 
commissions  in  the  French  War,  with  some  twenty 
or  thirty,  both  soldiers  and  officers,  who  had  seen 
service  in  the  field,  Parker  commanded  such  con- 
fidence that  he  was  chosen  above  them  all ;  and  the 
issue  showed  they  had  committed  no  mistake.     He 
was  firm,  cool,  and  determined  in  the  trying  hour. 
He  ordered  his  men  to  load  their  guns,  but  not  fire 
unless  fired  upon  first.     When  some  few  seemed 
inclined  to  falter,  he  said :  "  I  will  cause  the  first 
man  to  be  shot  down  who  quits  the  ranks  without 
orders."     Of  Parker's  company  seventeen  out  of 
seventy    were    either    killed    or    wounded.     This 
shows  that  they  stood  their  ground,  and  must  have 
been  fired  upon  at  close  range.     Although  eight  of 
his  men  had  been  killed  and  several  wounded  in 
the  morning,  he  rallied  his  company  in  the  after- 
noon to  meet  the  foe  on  their  return  from  Concord, 
and  fired  upon  them  with  execution. 


118  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Captain  Parker  led  a  detachment,  forty-five  men, 
of  his  company  to  Cambridge,  upon  call  of  the 
Provincial  Congress,  where  they  served  from  May 
6  to  May  10,  1775.  And  again,  on  the  day  of  the 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  he  inarched  with  sixty-one 
of  his  company  to  Cambridge,  ready  for  action. 

Although  his  health  was  feeble  at  the  time  of 
the  battle  of  Lexington,  and  a  fatal  disease  con- 
tinued its  invasion  of  his  physical  strength,  he 
marched  to  Cambridge  in  the  following  month,  and 
again  on  the  seventeenth  of  June,  resolute  for  the 
defence  of  his  country.  It  must  have  saddened 
his  heart,  after  the  heroic  part  he  had  taken  in  the 
beginning  of  the  great  struggle  for  liberty,  that  he 
could  not  live  to  witness  its  happy  issue.  He  died 
September  17,  1775,  at  the  age  of  forty-six. 

In  the  Massachusetts  State  House  there  were 
placed  two  muskets,  memorials  of  Captain  Parker, 
the  gift  to  the  State  of  his  grandson,  Rev.  Theo- 
dore Parker.     On  one  is  inscribed  :  — 

The  First  Fire  Arm 

Captured  in  the 

War  of  Independence. 

and  on  the  other :  — 

This  Firearm  was  used  by 

Capt.  John  Parker, 

in  the  Battle  of  Lexington, 

April  19th, 

1775. 

These  invaluable  mementoes  were  received  by 
the  State  authorities  with  appropriate  ceremonies, 


PARKER    FAMILY.  119 

and  are  conspicuously  suspended,  for  public  view, 
in  the  Senate  chamber  of  the  State  House. 

The  children  of  John  and  Lydia  (Moore)  Parker 
were  seven,  of  whom  John  the  3d,  born  February 
14,  1761,  married,  February  17,  1785,  Hannah 
Stearns,  born  May  21,  1764.  He  died  November 
3,  1835,  aged  seventy-four ;  she  died  May  15, 1823, 
aged  fifty-nine  years.  They  had  eleven  children, 
the  youngest  of  these  was  Theodore,  born  Au- 
gust 24,  1810.  He  married,  April  20,  1837,  Lydia 
D.  Cabot  of  Boston,  daughter  of  John  and  Lydia 
(Dodge)  Cabot,  born  September  12,  1813.  They 
had  no  children. 

My  earliest  acquaintance  with  Theodore  Parker 
dates  back  to  the  days  of  our  boyhood.     Living  in 
the  central  district  of  Lexington, — where,  as  the 
wages  of  the  school-teacher  were  higher  than  in 
the  outside  sections,  and  the  appropriations  equal, 
our  portion  was  soonest  exhausted,  —  I  was  sent 
by  my  parents  to  finish  the  winter's  schooling  at 
some  one  of  the  outer  districts.     One  season  it  was 
my  lot  to  go  a  few  weeks  to  the  same  school  with 
Theodore.     He  was  a  very  bright  boy  and  a  pleas- 
ant companion.     His  schoolmates  found  it  needed 
a  spur  to  keep  pace  with  him  in  his  rare  progress. 
I  remember  well  the  old  family  mansion,  which  had 
been  a  homestead  back  to  1712.     There  was  the 
well  of  the  fathers,  with  its  high  mounted   sweep 
and  its  "  old  oaken  bucket,"  in  use,  I  believe,  to 
this   day.     And  there,  near  the  house,  stood  the 
old    belfry    building    which,    on    the    site    of    the 


120  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

present  monument  on  the  Common,  rang  forth 
the  alarm  that  called  Parker  and  his  company  to 
arms  on  the  memorable  nineteenth  of  April,  1775. 
This  venerable  relic  was  obtained  by  his  family, 
and  removed  to  the  ancient  estate  where  it  is  in 
part  still  standing. 

In  November  1879, 1  visited  the  old  Parker  home- 
stead, then  occupied  by  a  nephew  of  his  name  and 
family,  and  entered  the  old  workshop  where  Theo- 
dore's father  long  labored  at  his  bench  ;  and  where 
the  son,  no  doubt,  must  in  his  early  days  have 
worked  with  his  own  hands.  What  memories 
clustered  around  that  belfry  workshop !  Here  the 
child  and  the  youth,  surrounded  by  field  and  wood, 
in  the  simple  home-life  of  his  venerated  and  wise 
mother,  and  his  modest,  faithful  father,  must  have 
meditated  great  thoughts  and  pious  resolves, 
and  been  trained  to  become  afterward  the  world - 
renowned  preacher  and  writer,  whose  words  have 
gone  out  so  far  and  sunk  so  deeply  into  thousands 
of  revering  minds  and  loving  hearts.  I  brought 
away  with  me,  the  gift  of  the  kind  nephew,  as  a 
precious  souvenir,  a  block  of  one  of  the  very 
timbers  that  supported  the  bell  which,  April  19, 
1775,  rang  forth  the  first  summons  to  battle  in  the 
cause  of  American  freedom  and  independence. 

Theodore  Parker  came  of  a  family  who  were 
farmers  or  mechanics.  His  father  not  only  culti- 
vated the  land,  but  bored  pumps,  in  which 
occupation  I  often  saw  him  employed  at  my 
father's  house,  —  a  plain  man  of   quiet  manners, 


PARKER    FAMILY.  121 

and  endowed  with  the  good  sense  of  his  ancestors. 
Theodore  worked  on  the  farm  and  in  the  carpen- 
ter's shop,  and  in  1830,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
entered  Harvard  College ;  but,  from  his  narrow 
pecuniary  resources,  he  could  not  pursue  his  stud- 
ies there,  and  remained  at  home  studying  as  he 
could,  "  keeping  school  "  —  having  begun  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  —  in  the  winters.  He  afterward 
took  a  private  class  in  Boston,  and  went  on  with 
his  studies,  yet  not  in  such  form  as  to  secure  a 
degree  from  Harvard  College.  His  vast  love  of 
knowledge  prompted  him  to  fill  every  leisure  hour 
with  the  study  of  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  German, 
French,  and  Spanish.  He  opened  a  private  school 
in  Watertown  in  1832,  and  had  fifty  scholars. 
Meantime  he  was  studying  theology  to  prepare 
for  the  ministry,  and  entered  the  Cambridge 
Divinity  School  in  1834,  and  took  up  the  Syriac, 
Arabic,  Danish,  and  Swedish  languages,  and  soon 
added  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  modern  Greek. 

After  preaching  in  many  pulpits  he  was  settled 
at  West  Roxbury,  in  June,  1837.  In  1840  he  re- 
ceived from  Harvard  College  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  He  gradually  changed  his  views  of  the 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  and  in  1841,  May 
19,  he  preached  an  ordination  sermon  at  South 
Boston,  on  "  The  Transient  and  Permanent  in 
Christianity,"  in  which  he  advocated  the  simple 
humanity  of  Christ  and  a  complete  anti-super- 
naturalism.  He  became  involved  in  a  widespread 
controversy,  which  led  at  length  to  his  preaching 


122  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

at  the  Boston  Melodeon,  where  he  was  installed 
over  a  new  society  in  1846.  Previously  to  this 
time  he  had  occasioned  much  censure  by  preach- 
ing in  Unitarian  pulpits,  whose  ministers  had  con- 
sented to  such  exchanges.  The  writer  was  among 
those  who  committed  in  this  way  what  some  of  his 
friends  regarded  as  an  offence.  We  were  settled 
near  each  other.  I  was  attached  to  him,  and  we 
sympathized  in  our  love  of  liberty,  civil  and  relig- 
ious. I  exchanged  pulpits  with  him,  not  as  agree- 
ing wholly  with  him  in  his  theology,  but  feeling 
that  he  was  honest  and  reverent,  and  entitled  to 
respectful  and  kind  treatment  in  the  pulpit,  even 
from  those  who  differed  from  him  on  many  con- 
tested points  in  regard  to  the  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures  and  the  nature  and  character  of  Christ. 

His  treatment  of  the  Bible  seemed  to  many  of 
us  very  free,  although  at  the  present  day  he  has 
been  far  outstripped  in  that  direction,  and  to  some 
of  those  who  write  on  the  same  topics  now,  abroad 
and  at  home,  he  appears  quite  conservative.  The 
Progressives  of  our  age  would  have  startled  Mr. 
Parker,  denying  or  doubting,  as  they  do,  in  not  a 
few  instances,  those  great  truths  which  were  fixed 
in  his  mind  as  firmly  as  his  own  being,  —  the  ex- 
istence of  a  God,  wise,  kind,  paternal,  and  that 
immortality,  of  which  he  said  he  was  personally 
conscious,  and  for  which  logic  as  well  as  feeling 
furnished,  he  affirmed,  a  sure  basis. 

On   the   day  of  our  exchange  I   remained   and 
took  tea  at  his  house,  some  half-mile   west  of  his 


PARKER    FAMILY.  123 

church,  with  him  and  his  wife,  a  most  pleasing  and 
amiable  person.  They  had  no  children,  and  seemed 
to  be  truly  all  in  all  to  each  other.  It  was  a  most 
happy  meeting,  and  may  well  recall  those  ten  res- 
olutions we  find  entered  on  their  wedding  day,  in 
Mr.  Parker's  since  published  journal :  — 

1.  Never,  except  for  the  best  of  causes,  to  oppose 
my  wife's  will. 

2.  To  discharge  all  duties  for  her  sake,  freely. 

3.  Never  to  scold. 

4.  Never  to  look  cross  at  her. 

5.  Never  to  weary  her  with  commands. 

6.  To  promote  her  piety. 

7.  To  bear  her  burdens. 

8.  To  overlook  her  foibles. 

9.  To  love,  cherish,  and  forever  defend  her. 

10.    To  remember  her  always,  most  affectionately,  in 
my  prayers.     Thus,  God  willing,  we  shall  be  blessed. 

Mrs.  Parker  survived  him  until  April  9,  1881,  to 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

I  subjoin  an  autograph  letter,  which  led  to  the 
above  mentioned  exchange  :  — 

West  Roxbury,  9  Feb.  '46. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  —  You  and  I  have  never  exchanged. 
I  write  not  to  request  but  to  suggest  one.  If  you  have 
any  objection  on  the  score  of  conscience,  as  some,  or  of 
expedience  which  is  the  conscience  of  some,  say  "  nay" 
plainly,  and  at  once.  But  if  you  feel  scruples  from 
neither  source,  I  shall  be  glad  of  an  exchange,  and   the 


124  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

sooner  the  better,  as  I  have  none  past,  present,  or  to 
come,  for  since  the  11  of  July  I  have  had  but  six  ex- 
changes, one  for  half  a  day  only. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Theo.  Parker. 

Mr.  Parker  was  a  devout  man,  as  all  who  ever 
attended  his  services,  or  have  read  the  volume  of 
his  prayers,  must  acknowledge.  Like  all  other 
men  he  had  his  limitations.  He  was  sometimes  ex- 
asperated by  the  illiberal  treatment  he  received, 
and  used  sharp  and  incisive  language  in  public  re- 
garding those  whose  alleged  crimes  or  faults,  and 
what  he  deemed  errors  of  thought  or  conduct  on 
the  questions  of  reform,  deeply  stirred  his  spirit. 
But  he  had  still  a  kind  heart,  and  sympathized  with 
all  the  suffering,  oppressed,  and  friendless,  and  la- 
bored in  season  and  out  of  season  for  their  relief; 
and  he  was,  in  my  judgment,  for  these  reasons, 
entitled  not  only  to  charity  but  strict  justice. 

To  the  writer  it  seems  very  narrow  in  one  who 
claims  to  be  a  liberal  Christian  not  to  accord  cheer- 
fully to  Theodore  Parker  the  virtues  of  thorough 
honesty  and  sincere  piety,  however  differing  from 
him  in  drawing  the  line  or  believing  in  a  line  be- 
tween the  natural  and  supernatural.  We  all  can 
afford  to  go  as  far  in  this  direction  as  Dean  Stan- 
ley, who  said :  "  The  theology  of  the  times  is  more 
indebted  to  Theodore  Parker  than  to  any  of  his 
contemporaries,"  and  who  recently  entertained  as 
his  guest,  Ernest  Renan,  from  many  of  whose 
theological  opinions  he  widely  dissented. 


PARKER    FAMILY.  125 

As  an  evidence  of  the  intellectual  tastes  and  cul- 
ture of  the  American  branch  of  the  Parkers,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that,  so  far  back  as  the  year 
1826.  no  less  than  fifty-nine  of  this  family  had 
graduated  at  New  England  colleges.  So  early  as 
1661  John  Parker  graduated  at  Harvard  College, 
at  which  period  we  find  this  record  on  the  Stew- 
ard's Books :  ft  waiter  hooke,  Debitor  &c.  pay^  by 
John  Parker  of  Boston." 

England  sent  over  many  valuable  ministers  to 
this  country  in  our  early  history.  Rev.  John 
Woodbridge,  afterward  the  highly  prized  minister 
of  Andover,  came  to  New  England,  Boston,  in 
1634,  in  company  with  his  uncle,  Rev.  Thomas 
Parker,  who  settled  at  Newbury,  and  was  one  of 
the  best  scholars  of  his  day,  and  generally  had 
more  than  one  student  in  his  charge.  Rev.  Shu- 
bael  Dummer,  minister  of  York,  Maine,  was  fitted 
for  college  in  Newbury,  his  native  place,  by  Rev. 
Thomas  Parker. 

The  Hon.  Charles  Hudson  told  me,  as  we  stood 
together  in  the  old  Lexington  burying -place,  No- 
vember 11,  1879,  that  Theodore  Parker,  with 
Captain  Jonathan  Parker  and  himself,  while  stand- 
ing on  a  lot  in  that  ground  by  the  side  of  grave- 
stones marked  with  the  name  of  Stearns,  the 
family  name  of  his  mother,  said :  "  Here  all  my 
father's  and  grandfather's  family  were  buried,  and 
when  I  die,  I  wish  to  be  buried  on  this  spot." 
If  this  spot  is  thus  clearly  identified  by  the  burial 
there   of  the    remains   of  Captain   John    Parker, 


126  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

a  monument  ought  to  be  erected  upon  it  in  honor  of 
that  brave  and  patriotic  man,  the  first  who  com- 
manded an  organized  force  arrayed  against  the 
British  Empire  in  that  memorable  Revolution 
which  led  to  our  national  independence.  A  large 
space  of  land  is  now,  1882,  vacant  of  tomb- 
stones, and  these  centennial  years  ought  not  to 
pass  without  at  least  some  modest  memorial  being 
raised,  to  commemorate  one  so  clearly  entitled  to 
the  veneration,  not  only  of  his  own  town  and  State, 
but  of  the  whole  country. 

It  should  be  said  in  justice  to  the  many  devoted 
friends  of  Theodore  Parker,  that  they  erected  a 
commemorative  stone  in  Lexington  on  the  spot 
where  the  old  house  stood  in  which  he  was  born. 
This  stone  is  of  Concord  granite,  three  feet  square 
and  three  and  a  half  feet  high,  resting  on  a  base 
four  feet  square  and  one  foot  high.  On  the  front, 
in  raised  characters,  is  the  sinrple  inscription  : — 

Birth  Place 

of 

Theodore  Parker, 

1810. 

I  am  glad  to  know  that,  by  the  liberality  of  Mr. 
N.  C.  Nash,  who  contributed  for  this  object  $5,000, 
and  with  additional  subscriptions,  a  statue  of  Mr. 
Parker  is  to  be  erected  in  the  city  of  Boston. 

Unhappily  his  wish  in  regard  to  his  burial-place 
could  not  be  gratified.  In  1859,  he  was  enfeebled 
by  incessant  labors,  and  a  hemorrhage  from  the 


PARKER    FAMILY.  127 

lungs  obliged  him  to  suspend  his  work.  He,  by  the 
advice  of  his  physician,  embarked  for  the  West 
Indies,  and  after  a  time  sailed  for  the  South  of 
Europe.  But  nothing  could  arrest  his  disease,  and 
he  died  at  Florence,  Italy,  May  10,  1860.  His 
great  heart  yearned  for  the  emancipation  of  the 
colored  race,  but  he  "  died  without  the  sight." 
Yet,  when  he  was  near  the  borders  of  the  Heav* 
enly  land  he  said,  with  a  prophetic  instinct  : 
"  There  is  a  glorious  future  for  America,  but  the 
other  side  of  the  Red  Sea."  He  was  buried  in  a 
small  Protestant  cemetery,  outside  of  the  city 
walls,  which  I  well  remember  visiting  some  years 
before  his  death.  The  grave  is  enclosed  by  a  bor- 
der of  gray  marble,  and  at  its  head  is  a  plain  stone 
of  the  same  material,  with  this  inscription  :  — 

Theodore    Parker, 

Born  at  Lexington,  Mass., 

United  States  op  America, 

Aug.  24,   1810. 

Died  at  Florence,  May  10,   1860. 

Andrew  Parker,  born  February  14,  1693,  son  of 
John  Parker,  born  1664,  married  August  2,  1720, 
Sarah  Whitney.  She  died  December  18,  1774, 
aged  seventy,  and  he  died  April  8,  1776,  aged 
eighty-three  years. 

They  had  twelve  children,  one  of  whom  Jonas 
Parker,  born  February  6,  1722,  was  one  of  the 
martyrs  of  liberty  who  fell  on  Lexington  common, 
April  19,  1775.     His  name  stands  second  on  the 


128  EEMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

noble  roll  of  the  eight  martyrs  who  fell  on  the  morn- 
ing of  that  eventful  day.  Edward  Everett,  in  his 
address,  April  19,  1835,  says  of  him :  "  Roman 
history  does  not  furnish  an  example  of  bravery 
that  outshines  that  of  Jonas  Parker.  A  truer  heart 
did  not  bleed  at  Thermopylae.  He  was  next  door 
neighbor  of  Rev.  Mr.  Clark,  and  had  evidently 
knbibed  a  double  portion  of  his  lofty  spirit.  Par- 
ker was  often  heard  to  say,  '  Be  the  conse- 
quences what  they  might,  and  let  others  do  what 
they  pleased,  he  would  never  run  from  the  enemy/ 
He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  —  better.  Having 
loaded  his  musket,  he  placed  his  hat,  containing 
his  ammunition,  on  the  ground  between  his  feet, 
in  readiness  for  the  second  charge.  At  the  second 
fire  from  the  enemy  he  was  wounded  and  sunk 
upon  his  knees,  and  in  this  condition  discharged 
his  gun.  While  loading  it  again  upon  his  knees, 
and  striving  in  the  agonies  of  death  to  redeem  his 
pledge,  he  was  transfixed  by  a  bayonet,  and  died 
on  the  spot." 

Thaddeus  Parker,  born  September  2, 1741,  son  of 
Josiah,  born  April  11,  1694,  married  May  27,  1759, 
Mary  Reed,  daughter  of  William  and  Abigail 
(Stone)  Reed.  He  died  February  10,  1789,  aged 
forty-eight;  she  died  October  9,  1811,  aged  sev- 
enty-three years.  Thaddeus  Parker  was  one  of  the 
selectmen  of  Lexington  in  1770-71-73-77,  at  a 
period  when  that  board  were  required  to  perform 
most  important  duties.  He  was  a  member  of  that 
brave  company  who,  under  the  command  of  his 


PARKER    FAMILY.  129 

brother,  John  Parker,  stood  before  the  British 
forces  April  19,  1775.  He  was  afterward,  true  to 
his  principles,  in  the  service  for  eight  months. 

Ebenezer  Parker,  son  of  Thomas,  son  of  An- 
drew, married,  December  3,  1772,  Dorcas  Munroe. 
They  had  three  children,  baptized  in  Lexington  : 
Abijah,  baptized  May  30,  1773;  Quincy,  baptized 
April  30,  1775;  Lucy,  baptized  July  22,  1781. 
He  and  his  wife  were  dismissed  to  the  church  in 
Princeton,  November  9,  1788.  He  was  a  corporal 
in  the  company  of  his  relative,  Captain  Parker,  and 
was  with  them  April  19,  1775,  —  also  on  the  sixth 
of  May  following,  and  on  the  seventeenth  of  June 
at  Bunker  Hill. 


FIRST    MEETING-HOUSE. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

MUNROE      FAMILY. 

When  some  one  spoke  to  Colonel  William  Mun- 
roe  of  Lexington,  —  member  and  officer  in  Captain 
John  Parker's  company,  April  19,  1775  —  of  the 
bravery  of  the  Munroes  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution :  "  No  wonder,  at  all,  sir,"  he  replied  :  "  they 
have  Irish,  Scotch,  and  Yankee  blood  in  their  veins." 
We  trace  this  family  back  to  Ireland.  The  origi- 
nal name  was  spelt  with  one  syllable,  Ro  ;  the  first 
person  of  this  stock  whom  we  find  in  history  is 
Occon,  or  Ocon  Roe,  whose  son  Donald,  born  in 
Ireland,  went  to  Scotland,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  to  assist  King  Malcolm  II.  in 
his  war  against  the  Danes.  The  King  gave  him 
for  his  services  certain  lands  in  Scotland,  which 
were  named  by  the  King  the  Barony  of  Fowlis. 
His  descendants  added  to  the  original  name  the 
syllable  Mori.  At  subsequent  periods  this  name 
was  spelt  variously  Monro,  Munro,  Monroe,  and 
Munroe.  The  present  name  of  a  clergyman  and 
popular  writer  of  this  family  is  spelt  Roe.  He 
undoubtedly  is  a  descendant  from  the  original  Ro 
of  Ireland. 

The  same  traits  of  character  may  be  found  in 


MUNROE    FAMILY.  131 

all  ages,  the  heritage  of  the  heroic,  shrewd,  honest, 
firm,  and  courageous  old  stock  of  Ro. 

We  should  never  lose  sight  of  the  grand  military 
record  of  this  family.  George  Munroe,  Ninth 
Baron  of  Fowlis,  was  slain  at  the  battle  of  Ban- 
nockburn,  under  Robert  Bruce  of  Scotland,  in  1314. 
Robert  Munroe,  Twenty-first  Baron,  was  killed  in 
the  service  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  of  Sweden,  de- 
fending the  civil  and  religious  liberties  of  Germany, 
in  1633.  Sir  Robert,  Twenty-fifth  Baron,  was  a 
zealous  Presbyterian,  and  being  remarkable  for  size 
and  corpulency,  —  the  same  figure  with  Colonel 
Munroe  of  our  Revolution,  —  he  was  nicknamed 
"  the  Presbyterian  mortar-piece."  His  grandson 
Sir  Robert,  Twenty-seventh  Baron,  who  succeeded 
his  father  in  1729,  was  greatly  distinguished  for  his 
military  services.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Fonte- 
noy.  He  would  order  his  men  to  throw  them- 
selves upon  the  ground  and  receive  the  enemy's 
fire,  and  then  rise  and  rush  upon  them,  as  they  did 
with  fatal  effect ;  but  he  himself  stood  upright  un- 
der fire.  Being  asked  afterward  why  he  did  this, 
he  replied  that  "  though  he  could  throw  himself  on 
the  ground,  like  the  young  and  leaner  men,  his 
great  bulk  and  corpulency  would  not  suffer  him  to 
rise  instantly  and  rush  upon  the  enemy."  In  the 
battle  of  Falkirk  he  was  slain.  Two  of  his  brothers, 
Dr.  Munroe  and  Captain  George  Munroe,  were  also 
in  that  engagement,  and  the  former  was  killed. 

Up  to  the  year  1651,  there  had  been  three  gen- 
erals, eight  colonels,  eleven  majors,  thirty  captains 


132  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  five  lieutenants  of  the  Munroe  stock.  At  the 
battle  of  Worcester,  where  Cromwell  was  victori- 
ous, several  Munroes  were  made  prisoners,  and 
some  of  them  were  bound  out  as  apprentices  to 
farmers  in  America.  Among  these  is  supposed  to 
have  been  William,  the  ancestor  of  the  family  in 
this  country.  In  the  two  great  wars  on  this  soil, 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  their  name  is  promi- 
nent. In  the  old  French  War,  Sergeant  William 
Munroe  served  in  1754-55;  Lieutenant  Edmund 
Munroe  in  1757,  1758  and  1761 ;  Jonas  Munroe  in 
1755-57;  James  Munroe  in  1757-58-59 ;  Ensign 
Robert  Munroe  in  1758  and  1762  ;  David  Munroe 
in  1757-59.  To  these  we  must  add  Thaddeus, 
John,  Abraham,  Stephen,  and  Josiah,  eleven  of  one 
family  name  in  the  French  War ;  while  in  that  of 
the  Revolution  there  were  no  less  than  fourteen 
who  bore  arms,  of  whom  one,  Ensign  Robert  Mun- 
roe, is  enrolled  among  the  eight  whose  names  are 
on  the  monument  at  Lexington  as  killed  in  the 
battle. 

Colonel  William  Munroe  —  with  whose  stalwart 
form  and  determined  movements,  slightly  enfeebled 
by  age,  I  was  familiar  from  my  boyhood  —  was  born 
October  22,  1742.  He  married  first,  Anna  Smith, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Anna  (Parker)  Smith, 
who  was  born  March  31,  1743,  and  died  January  2, 
1781,  aged  thirty-eight  years.  He  married  second, 
widow  Polly  Rogers  of  Westford,  whose  first  hus- 
band was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  Col- 
onel Munroe  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  — 


MUNROE    FAMILY.  .       133 

one  of  the  noble  company  who  met  the  British  on 
Lexington  Common,  April  19,  1775,  and  at  that 
time  was  orderly  sergeant.  He  was  a  lieutenant 
in  the  Northern  army  at  the  taking  of  Burgoyne, 
in  1777.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  Lexington, 
was  selectman  nine  years,  and  Representative  to 
the  Legislature  two  years,  was  a  colonel  in  the 
militia,  and  engaged  in  suppressing  the  Shays  Re- 
bellion. He  kept  the  Munroe  Tavern,  where  the 
British  troops  refreshed  themselves  April  19,  1775, 
on  their  return  from  Concord,  and  where  they 
committed  many  outrages,  murdering  in  cold  blood 
John  Raymond,  as  he  was  quietly  leaving  the 
house.  It  was  here  President  Washington  dined 
in  1789,  when,  on  his  visit  to  New  England,  he 
came  to  Lexington  to  view  the  first  battle-field  of 
the  Revolution.  Colonel  Munroe  died  October  30, 
1827,  aged  eighty-five  years.  His  second  wife 
died  January  10,  1839,  aged  seventy-three  years. 
The  children  of  William  and  Anna  (Smith)  Mun- 
roe were  six  in  number. 

(1)  William,  born  May  28,  1768,  who  married 
Susan  B.  Grinnell  of  New  Bedford,  was  killed  at 
Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1814,  by  the  upsetting 
of  a  stage-coach. 

(2)  Anna,  born  May  9,  1771,  married  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Muzzey  of  Sullivan,  New  Hampshire,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1798.  Both  died  in  Lexington,  —  he,  April 
16,  1835,  aged  64,  and  she  in  1850,  aged  79  years. 

(3)  Sarah,  born  October  21,  1773,  married  Jona- 
than Wheelock  of  Connecticut;  she  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years. 


134  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

(4)  Lucinda,  born  April  9,  1776,  died  unmar- 
ried, June  2,  1863,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 

(5)  Jonas,  born  June  11,  1778,  married,  March 
17,  1814,  Abigail  C.  Smith.  He  lived  on  the  home- 
stead in  Lexington,  —  a  man  "  of  infinite  jest,"  of 
popular  manners,  and  known  through  the  town  by 
the  familiar  name  of  "  Uncle  Jonas." 

(6)  Edmund,  born  October  29,  1780,  married 
first,  Harriet  Downes,  second,  Lydia  Downes,  third, 
Sophia  Sewall.  He  was  a  broker  in  Boston,  and 
died  April  17,  1865,  aged  eighty-four  years  and 
six  months. 

This  ancient  family  were  among  the  first  to  em- 
brace the  Reformation,  and  were  zealous  supporters 
of  it.  As  I  read  the  old  record  of  these  men,  I  am 
constantly  reminded  of  their  honored  descendants 
of  Lexington.  They  were  "  all  remarkable  for  a 
brave  spirit,  full  of  love  to  their  native  land,  and 
of  distinguished  zeal  for  religion  and  liberty,  — 
faithful  in  their  promises,  steadfast  in  their  friend- 
ships, and  abundant  in  their  charity  to  the  poor 
and  distressed." 

William  Munroe,  the  ancestor  of  the  Lexington 
family,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1625,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1652.  He  lived  first  in  Menotomy, 
now  Arlington,  and  then  a  part  of  Cambridge. 
We  first  find  his  name  in  the  records  of  Cambridge 
in  1657.  He  settled  at  Cambridge  Farms,  now 
Lexington,  then  a  part  of  Cambridge,  about  1660. 
Several  of  his  sons,  of  whom  he  had  six,  settled 
near  him  at  first.     Mrs.  Sanderson,  his  great-grand- 


MUNROE    FAMILY.  135 

daughter,  who  died  at  Lexington  in  1853,  aged 
one  hundred  and  four  years,  said  that  his  old  house 
looked  like  a  ropewalk,  so  many  additions  had 
been  made  to  it  to  accommodate  his  sons,  as  they 
successively  settled  in  life.  Adopting  the  custom 
of  the  Scottish  clans,  he  kept  the  Munroes  much 
together,  and  made  them,  for  some  time,  a  kind  of 
distinct  people.  The  section  of  Lexington  they 
occupied  was,  and  still  is,  known  by  the  name  of 
Scotland,  in  honor  of  the  first  settler  on  that  spot, 
He  died  January  27,  1717,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
two.  He  had  three  wives.  The  third  was  Eliza- 
beth Wyer,  widow  of  Edward  Wyer  of  Charles- 
town.  He  must  have  married  for  love  and  not 
money,  for,  among  the  papers  he  left  is  an  in- 
ventory of  the  property  which  belonged  to  her, 
the  whole  of  which  is  "  one  bed,  one  bolster,  one 
pillow,  one  chest,  one  warming-pan,  one  pair  of 
tongs,  and  one  pewter  platter." 

Edmund,  grandson  of  William  Munroe,  was 
born  February  2,  1736,  and  married,  in  1768,  Re- 
becca, daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Abigail  (Dunster) 
Harrington.  She  was  a  sister  of  Jonathan  Harring- 
ton, who  died  in  1854,  the  last  survivor  of  the 
battle  of  Lexington.  Edmund  Munroe  entered 
the  Provincial  service  at  an  early  age.  He  was 
ensign  in  a  corps  of  Rangers  under  Major  Rogers, 
which  performed  signal  service  in  the  French  War. 
In  1761  he  was  acting  adjutant  in  Colonel  Hoar's 
regiment  at  Crown  Point.  In  1762  he  received  a 
commission,  from  Governor  Bernard,  as  lieutenant 


136  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  his  Majesty's  service,  and  continued  with  the 
troops  at  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga,  and  its  vicinity 
till  the  peace  of  1763.  His  services  in  these  cam- 
paigns were  of  the  most  honorable  character,  and 
he  was  presented,  as  a  reward  of  his  bravery,  with 
a  sword  captured  from  one  of  the  French  officers. 
This  interesting  relic  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
one  of  his  descendants,  Mr.  E.  S.  Fessenden  of 
Arlington. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1775,  he  was  one 
of  the  Lexington  minute-men,  and  was  present  at 
the  battle  on  that  day.  As  early  as  August,  1776, 
we  find  him  on  his  way  to  meet  the  British  on  the 
same  field  where  he  had  co-operated  with  them  to 
subdue  the  French  and  Indians.  He  was  commis- 
sioned lieutenant  on  the  twelfth  of  July,  1776,  in 
Colonel  Reed's  regiment.  On  the  sixteenth  of  the 
same  month  he  was  appointed  a  quartermaster,  and 
sent  to  the  northern  frontier.  On  the  first  of 
January  following,  he  received  a  commission  as 
Captain  in  Colonel  Bigelow's  regiment.  He  was 
with  the  northern  army,  under  Gates,  at  Stillwater, 
Saratoga,  and  Bennington,  and  so  distinguished 
himself,  that  after  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  he 
was  presented  by  his  superior  officers  with  a  pair 
of  candlesticks,  a  part  of  the  travelling  equipage 
of  General  Burgoyne.  They  are  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  a  lady  in  Arlington. 

On  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  Captain  Munroe 
was  sent  with  his  regiment  to  New  Jersey,  where 
he  served  under  Washington.     When  he  entered 


M UN  ROE    FAMILY.  137 

upon  the  command  of  a  company,  he  had  with 
him  fifteen  men  from  Lexington.  He  was  killed 
by  a  cannon-ball,  while  in  line  of  battle,  on  the 
field  of  Freehold,  commonly  called  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  June  28,  1778.  The  oath  of  office  of 
Captain  Munroe,  witnessed  at  Valley  Forge  by  the 
Baron  de  Kalb,  May  18,  1778,  is  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  Dr.  Francis  H.  Brown,  a  descendant  of 
Captain  Edmund  Munroe. 

Captain  Munroe  was  deliberately  brave,  without 
rashness.  His  knowledge  of  military  matters 
and  his  sterling  traits  of  character  rendered  him 
a  valuable  aid  in  the  struggle  of  the  Revolution, 
and  his  services  were  eagerly  sought  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  American  army. 

He  was  forty-two  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  widow  survived  him,  and  died  in 
1834,  at  the  age  of  eighty- three  years. 


THE  HANCOCK  HOUSE. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

BROWN      FAMILY. 

Francis  Brown  came  of  the  good  old  yeoman 
stock  of  New  England.  His  ancestors,  coming 
from  England  in  1632,  in  the  persons  of  "  John 
Brown  and  Dorothy  his  wife,"  settled  in  Water- 
town,  in  company  with  the  uncles  Richard  and 
Abraham.  Anterior  to  this  date,  for  eight  gener- 
ations, and  for  nearly  three  hundred  years,  their 
ancestors  had  been  landed  gentry  in  the  East  of 
England,  where  they  left  memorials  of  upright 
lives  and  honorable  positions  in  the  society  of  Xhe 
day. 

John  Brown  brought  with  him  his  son,  of  the 
same  name,  then  a  year  old,  who  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  married  Hester  Makepeace  of  Boston ; 
and  from  their  union  came  this  branch  of  the  family. 
Their  grandson,  Francis  Brown,  was  born  in  1738. 
At  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  was  liv- 
ing in  that  portion  of  the  town  known  as  Scot- 
land. His  grandfather  had  removed  to  Lexington 
in  1709,  and  the  family  has  been  represented  there 
from  that  time.  The  knowledge  we  have  of  the 
Lexington  minute-man  is  such  as  to  show  that  he 


BROWN    FAMILY.  139 

was  a  man  of  great  decision  of  character,  and  well 
fitted  by  nature  and  training  to  meet  the  impend- 
ing crisis.  He  was  of  middle  size,  strong  and 
active.  He  was  a  man  of  true  courage,  of  the 
calm  and  reliable  class,  which  does  not  rush  un- 
necessarily into  danger ;  but  when  duty  called,  he 
would  not  flinch  or  hesitate.  He  was  a  person  of 
good  executive  qualities  in  all  situations  in  life, 
ackowledged  by  common  consent  and  choice  as  a 
leader  among  his  neighbors  and  friends.  In  1764 
he  married  Mary  Buckman  of  Lexington,  sister  of 
John  Buckman,  who  was  the  village  innholder  in 
1775.  She  was  born  in  1740,  and  died  in  Lex- 
ington in  1824.  She  is  represented  as  small  in 
stature,  quiet  and  retiring,  of  great  refinement  and 
considerable  culture.  She  had  a  then  rare  taste 
for  painting,  fine  needlework,  and  embroidery,  and 
other  accomplishments,  which  gave  her  a  superior 
position  in  the  community  in  which  she  lived. 

James  Brown,  whom  I  recollect  from  my  boy- 
hood, the  oldest  son  of  Francis  and  Mary,  was  a 
mere  child  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
He  remembered  the  trepidation  which  he  witnessed 
in  his  parents  and  their  fellow  townsmen,  but  could 
not  well  appreciate,  at  the  coming  of  the  British 
troops.  The  hasty  concealment  of  their  household 
treasures,  and  the  retreat  of  the  family  to  the 
woods,  made  an  impression  on  his  infant  mind 
which  years  could  not  efface.  At  the  time  of  the 
battle,  the  minute-men  of  Lexington  included  in 
their  number  the  principal  men  of  the  town.    John 


140  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Parker,  then  forty-six  years  of  age,  commanded 
the  company  in  which  Francis  Brown  was  a  ser- 
geant. On  the  study  walls  of  one  of  our  city 
homes  hangs  an  old-time  cartridge-box,  having 
the  inscription,  "F.  B.,  1774."  At  a  later  date 
Brown  was  captain  of  the  same  company,  and  did 
good  service  at  Cambridge,  in  the  fortifications 
around  Boston,  at  Ticoncleroga,  and  elsewhere. 

The  similarity  of  names  in  the  old  rolls  of  the 
company  indicate  that  several  of  the  minute-men 
were  closely  related  by  ties  of  family,  as  well  as  by 
those  of  a  common  interest,  and  that  they  thus 
stood  up  as  one  family  to  offer  the  first  armed  re- 
sistance to  British  oppression.  The  spirit  of  un- 
rest which  pervaded  the  neighborhood  of  Boston 
in  the  spring  of  1775  did  not  fail  to  reach  the  in- 
habitants of  Lexington.  Everything  indicated  an 
immediate  crisis,  and  the  information  brought  by 
watchful  Patriots  during  the  night  of  the  eigh- 
teenth, found  the  minute-men  prepared  for  the 
emergency. 

Sergeant  Brown  was  one  of  the  band  who 
guarded  Hancock  and  Adams  at  the  house  of  Par- 
son Clark  on  the  memorable  ni«;ht  of  the  ei^h- 
teenth,  and  accompanied  them  to  the  place  of 
safety  they  sought  on  the  morning  of  the  nine- 
teenth of  April.  He  was  present  with  the  com- 
pany on  the  Common  at  the  time  of  the  attack 
by  the  British  troops,  and  in  the  afternoon  fol- 
lowed them  to  Concord.  After  leaving  the  Com- 
mon he  proceeded  up  the  old  Bedford  Boad,  now 


BROWN    FAMILY.  141 

Hancock  Street,  in  advance  of  a  squad  of  the 
regulars  sent  up  to  search  the  old  Clark  house. 
He  was  seen  and  pursued  by  a  mounted  officer, 
who  struck  at  him  with  his  sword,  and  demanded 
his  surrender.  Brown  managed  to  keep  the  horse 
at  the  length  of  his  musket,  and  the  sword  of  the 
officer  only  fell  on  the  barrel.  Seeing  the  sol- 
diers drawing  near  to  him,  and  that  his  position 
was  becoming  perilous,  he  took  advantage  of  a 
favorable  moment,  leaped  a  high  rail-fence,  and 
ran  down  into  a  swamp  at  the  side  of  the  road. 
He  escaped  the  bullets  of  the  soldiers,  which 
clicked  among  the  leaves  of  the  trees  above  his 
head.  Here  he  found  a  number  of  fellow  minute- 
men,  who  had  preceded  him  in  seeking  this  place 
of  temporary  shelter.  After  this  escape,  he  joined 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  British  troops,  keeping  near 
enough  to  do  his  part  in  harassing  them,  and  ex- 
changing shots  with  them  as  occasion  offered. 
On  the  return  from  Concord,  in  the  town  of  Lin- 
coln, he  fell  in  with  three  of  the  regulars,  and  while 
stepping  out  from  behind  a  rock,  was  seen  and  fired 
upon,  the  ball  wounding  him  in  the  neck.  With 
that  singular  good  fortune  which  so  often  attends 
wounds  in  this  region,  no  important  parts  were  in- 
jured, and  the  ball  found  a  lodgment  beneath  the 
skin  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  and  was  removed  a 
year  later. 

Francis  Brown  left  hishome,his  wife  and  children, 
to  meet  the  demand  of  his  country  for  brave  hearts 
and  freedom-loving  spirits.     He  outlived  the  dan- 


142  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

gers  and  the  thraldom  of  the  period,  and  enjoyed 
for  many  years  a  happy  home  and  the  respect  of 
his  fellow  townsmen.  He  died  in  1800.  His 
body  rests  in  the  cemetery  at  Lexington,  beside 
that  of  his  faithful  wife.  The  stones  above  their 
graves  tell  the  simple  tale  of  life  and  death.  His 
son  James  married  Pamelia,  born  in  1773,  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Edmund  Munroe. 


CHAPTER     IX. 

KIRK  LAND      FAMILY. 

The  names  of  Samuel  and  John  Thornton 
Kirkland  figure  somewhat  largely  in  American 
history.  They  were  separated  in  their  special  offi- 
ces and  functions,  the  one  as  missionary  among  the 
Indians  and  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
the  other  as  pastor  of  a  church  and  president  of 
the  oldest  college  in  the  country  ;  and  yet  they 
were  united,  we  shall  find,  at  many  interesting 
points. 

Of  a  common  stock,  we  may  look  a  moment  at 
their  ancestry.  The  name  Kirkland,  that  is 
Churchland,  indicates  their  Scotch  descent.  John 
Kirkland  is  said  to  have  come  to  this  countrv 
directly  from  Silver  Street  in  London.  He  had  a 
son  John  who  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  Daniel,  the  father  of  Samuel,  was  the 
youngest  but  one.  Daniel  was  born  in  Saybrook, 
Connecticut,  in  1701,  graduated  at  Yale  College  in 
1720,  and  was  ordained  as  the  first  minister  of  the 
Third  Congregational  Church  in  Norwich,  Decem- 
ber 10,  1723.  In  1753  he  resigned  his  pastorate, 
and  was  for  a  short  time  settled  at  Groton,  Con- 


144  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

necticut,  but  returned  to  Norwich  in  1758,  and 
died  there  in  May,  1773.  He  bore  the  reputation 
of  being  a  devoted  minister  of  Christ,  a  man  of 
native  abilities,  a  good  scholar,  of  a  facetious  turn, 
and  a  most  amiable  disposition.  In  many  respects 
his  character  seems  to  have  foreshadowed  quali- 
ties conspicuous  in  his  grandson,  the  President  of 
Harvard  College. 

Samuel  Kirkland,  born  December  1,  1741,  was 
a  student  at  Rev.  Dr.  Wheelock's  school  at  Leb- 
anon, Connecticut,  in  1761.  In  the  autumn  of 
1762  he  entered  Princeton  College,  New  Jersey, 
and  received  a  degree  in  1765.  Many  of  the 
students  at  Princeton,  including  Indian  youth, 
were  then  preparing  themselves  to  be  teachers  or 
missionaries  among  the  Indians.  This  circum- 
stance had  its  influence  probably  in  deciding 
Samuel  Kirkland  to  become  afterward  himself  a 
missionary  to  that  race. 

At  the  early  age  of  twenty-three  he  was  marked 
by  his  great  physical  vigor,  his  benevolence,  his 
courage,  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and 
zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  as  a  fit  man 
to  be  sent  as  missionary  to  the  Senecas,  a  tribe 
of  savage  and  bloodthirsty  warriors.  He  spent  a 
year  and  a  half  among  these  Indians,  and  his 
journeys  through  forests,  and  especially  snows  in 
the  month  of  January,  were  attended  with  ex- 
treme sufferings  and  perils.  On  his  arrival,  one 
of  the  chiefs  made  a  friendly  speech,  and  advised 
his  "  brothers  "  to  receive  the  young  man  kindly. 


KIKKLAND    FAMILY.  145 

"  He  loves  Indians,"  were  his  words,  "  he  wishes  to 
do    them    good."     After   a   long    silence   another 
chief,  of  an  opposite  character,  uttered  himself  in 
a    different   strain :    "  This    white-skin,"  said    he, 
"  has  come  upon  a  dark  design,  or  he  would  not 
have  travelled  so  many  hundred  miles.     He  brings 
with  him   the  white   people's   Book;  they  call  it 
God's    Holy    Book.     You    know    this    book    was 
never  made  for  Indians.     The  Great  Spirit  gave  us 
a  book  for  ourselves.     He  wrote  it  in  our  heads. 
He  put  it  into  the  minds  of  our  fathers ;  and  gave 
them  rules  about  worshipping  him ;  and  our  fathers 
observed  these  rules,  and  the  upholder  of  the  skies 
was  pleased,   and  gave   them  success  in  hunting 
and  made  them  victorious  over  their  enemies  in 
war.     Brothers,  attend  !     Be    assured  that  if   we 
Semcas  receive  this  white  man,  and  attend  to  the 
book  made  only  for  white  people,  we  shall  become 
miserable.     The  spirit  of  the  brave  warrior  and  the 
good  hunter  will  be  no  more  among  us.     We  shall 
be    sunk  so  low  as  to  hoe  corn   and  squashes  in 
the  field,  chop  wood,  stoop  down  and  milk  cows. 
...  Of  this  are  we  not  warned  by  the  sudden  death 
of  our  good  brother  and  wise  sachem  ?    Brothers, 
listen  to  what  I  say.     Ought  not  this  white  man's 
life  to  make  satisfaction  for  our  deceased  brother's 
death?" 

After  much  discussion,  and  finding  in  Mr.  Kirk- 
land's  knapsack  no  magic  powder  that  could  have 
killed  their  lost  brother,  and  after  the  head  sachem 
had   made  a  long  speech,  and  advised    them    to 

10 


146  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

"  bury  the  hatchet  deep  in  the  ground,"  the  oppo- 
sition was  withdrawn ;  there  was  a  general  shout  of 
applause,  and  the  head  sachem  said,  "  Our  busi- 
ness is  done,  I  rake  up  the  council  fire." 

Mr.  Kirkland  began  his  missionary  labors  about 
the  first  of  August,  1766,  and  continued  them, 
with  occasional  interruptions,  for  forty  years.  In 
1769  he  married  Jerusha  Bingham,  a  niece  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Wheelock,  a  lady  of  fine  intellectual  and 
moral  qualities  and  deeply  interested  in  his  mission- 
ary work.  By  her  he  had  two  sons,  twins,  born 
August  17,  1770,  and  named  in  honor  of  two  of 
his  esteemed  friends  and  benefactors,  George 
Whitefield  and  John  Thornton.  They  resided 
some  time  in  Oneida,  and  the  Indians  at  once 
adopted  the  boys  into  their  tribe,  giving  to  George 
the  name  of  Lagoneost,  and  to  John  that  of  Ab- 
ganoiska,  that  is,  Fair  Face. 

Mrs.  Kirkland  passed  the  winter  of  1772-73  at 
Stockbridge,  Massachusetts;  and  the  unsettled 
condition  of  affairs  among  the  Indians  and  the 
prospect  of  war  with  Great  Britain  making  it 
unsafe  for  her  to  return  to  her  husband,  she  oc- 
cupied a  small  farm  in  Stockbridge,  and,  occasion- 
ally visited  by  him,  she  remained  there  until  the 
peace  of  1783. 

Mr.  Kirkland  rendered  important  services  to  the 
country  through  the  whole  Revolutionary  War. 
As  early  as  July  18,  1775,  a  vote  of  Congress 
recommended  that  "  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Northern  Department  employ  Rev.  Samuel  Kirk- 


KIRKLAND    FAMILY.  147 

land  among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations,  in 
order  to  secure  their  friendship  and  to  continue 
them  in  a  state  of  neutrality  with  respect  to  the 
present  controversy  between  Great  Britain  and 
these  Colonies."  In  this  capacity  he  labored  earn- 
estly to  keep  the  peace  among  them.  He  also 
received  a  commission  from  the  Continental  Con- 
gress as  a  chaplain  in  the  army.  At  the  siege  of 
Fort  Schuyler  and  the  other  posts  in  that  vicinity 
he  officiated  with  the  pay  and  subsistence  of  a  bri- 
gade-chaplain, and  was  instructed  at  the  same  time 
ato  pay  as  great  attention  to  the  Oneidas  and 
other  Indians  contiguous  to  them,  as  might  be  con- 
sistent with  the  above  mentioned  appointment." 

He  writes  to  his  wife,  from  Fort  Schuyler,  Sep- 
tember 15,  1776  :  — 

I  am  to  be  faithful  in  improving  opportunities  of  per- 
sonal intercourse  with  the  troops,  to  enliven  their  love 
of  God  and  of  liberty,  and  their  readiness  to  do  and  to 
suffer  for  the  cause  of  the  country. 

It  was  difficult  to  keep  the  Indians  strictly  neu- 
tral, and  they  insisted  at  one  time  on  taking  a  part 
in  the  contest  with  Great  Britain,  and  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  warriors  rendered  great  service 
to  the  cause  under  a  remarkable  Oneida  chief 
named  Skeneando.  This  chief  was  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  men  in  all  the  Six  Nations.  Of 
a  tall  and  commanding  figure,  his  constitution  was 
strong,  and  his  countenance  manifested  great  in- 
telligence  and   dignity.     Brave  as  a  warrior,  he 


148  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

became  also  a  most  noble  and  sagacious  counsellor. 
For  his  interest  in  our  people  and  his  fidelity  to  all 
engagements  with  them,  he  was  named  among 
the  Indians  the  White  Man's  Friend.  So  at- 
tached was  he  to  Mr.  Kirkland  that  he  expressed 
a  desire,  and  received  a  promise  from  the  family, 
that  he  should  be  buried  near  him  ;  that,  as  he 
said,  "  he  might  cling  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments, 
and  go  up  with  him  at  the  great  resurrection." 
He  lived  until  1816,  and  at  his  death,  being  then 
one  hundred  and  ten  years  old,  his  remains  were 
conveyed  to  Mr.  Kirkland's  former  homestead  in 
Clinton,  N.  Y.,  where  a  funeral  service  was  held  in 
the  church,  and  his  body  was  then  deposited  as  he 
had  requested.  The  Christian  minister  and  the 
Indian  chieftain  now  rest  side  by  side  in  the  old 
family  orchard. 

Mr.  Kirkland  was  employed  as  a  missionary  un- 
der the  patronage  of  a  board  in  Scotland,  and  also 
of  one  in  Boston ;  and  he  continued  his  services  at 
the  earnest  request  of  the  Indians  themselves,  af- 
ter the  close  of  the  war,  until  the  year  1787,  when 
he  returned  to  his  family  at  Stockbridge.  His 
children,  then  six  in  number,  had  been  there  edu- 
cated under  a  most  tender  and  faithful  mother. 

My  limits  prevent  a  full  narrative  of  the  mis- 
sionary services  of  Mr.  Kirkland.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  both  his  patriotism  and  philanthropy  prompted 
him  to  continue  his  labors  in  this  direction  to  the 
last  of  his  life.  He  formed  a  plan  of  education, 
—  to  further  which  he  visited  Boston,  it  would  ap- 


KIRKLAND    FAMILY.  149 

pear,  in  1791,  to  confer  with  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners, who  had  that  matter  in  charge.  He 
took  with  him  an  Indian  chief,  Onondago,  and 
they  visited  Cambridge  at  Commencement,  where 
he  was  to  meet  two  of  the  Board,  President 
Willard  and  Rev.  Dr.  Wigglesworth.  The  chief 
was  invited  on  Sunday  to  attend  divine  services. 
He  objected,  however,  saying :  "  An  Indian  is  a 
strange  sight  here.  If  I  go  to  church,  the  people 
will  look  at  me,  and  forget  to  worship  the  Great 
Spirit  with  the  heart."  He  visited  the  library  and 
philosophical  apparatus,  but  said  he  was  afraid  his 
nation  would  not  understand  his  account  of  the 
orrery,  "  the  sun,  moon,  and  star  machine,"  as  he 
called  it ;  "  they  would  be  afraid  it  was  some  magic 
work."  He  was  delighted  and  surprised  "  that 
the  wise  men  of  Cambridge,  with  their  knowledge 
of  everything  about  the  works  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
could,  nevertheless,  turn  their  attention  to  the  in- 
terests and  happiness  of  poor  Indians." 

After  Mr.  Kirkland  retired  from  his  mission- 
ary work  he  showed  his  native  hospitality  and 
regard  for  this  hapless  race,  who  would  come, 
scores  of  them  at  a  time  frequently,  to  visit  their 
old  and  beloved  friend.  "  Bodily  infirmities,"  said 
he,  "  have  occasioned  some  interruptions ;  but  I 
think  I  have  employed  my  time,  exerted  my  tal- 
ents, and  spared  no  sacrifice  to  make  myself  useful 
among  these  poor  Indians,  my  old  and  very  dear 
charge." 

Visiting  the   scene  of  this  good  man's  labors  at 


150  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Oneida,  in  the  summer  of  1826, 1  was  exceedingly 
interested  in  spending  an  hour  or  two  in  one  of 
those  schools  which,  nearly  a  half-century  before, 
Mr.  Kirkland  had  done  so  much  to  establish.  The 
bright  faces  of  the  little  tawny  boys  and  girls, 
their  evident  love  of  study,  and  their  prompt  and 
generally  correct  answers  to  their  teachers'  ques- 
tions, gave  me  new  encouragement  and  hope  for 
the  civilization  of  this  unfortunate  race. 

Among  the  various  plans  and  efforts  for  their 
advancement  and  elevation,  I  look  with  great  con- 
fidence to  the  efforts  of  such  men  as  Samuel  Kirk- 
land. He  deserves  a  higher  encomium  than  he 
has  yet  received  for  his  devotedness  to  this  noble 
enterprise,  begun  in  his  early  life,  and  continued 
with  unabated  zeal  so  long  as  his  powers  of  mind 
and  body  permitted. 

Let  us  send  men  of  his  spirit  and  consecration  to 
our  Western  territory,  and  let  the  Church  and  the 
State  unite  in  giving  them  a  generous  sympathy 
and  a  just  compensation,  and  we  may  feel  assured 
that  our  own  day  and  generation  will  yet  do  some- 
thing to  wipe  out  the  stain  that  still  remains 
almost  hopelessly,  under  the  old  methods  of  deal- 
ing with  this  degraded,  yet  not  irredeemable, 
portion  of  our  people.  To  the  shield  of  law,  gov- 
ernment, and  social  justice,  we  must  add  that  best 
of  all  instruments  and  influences,  a  personal  inter- 
course, pervaded  with  genuine  sympathy  and 
enforced  by  a  persistent,  humane,  Christian  treat- 
ment, and  we  shall  no  longer  blush   to   read  the 


KIRKLAND    FAMILY.  151 

record  of  our  dealings  with  the  wronged,  hunted, 
and  down-trodden  Indian. 

John  Thornton  Kirkland,  the  second  son  of 
Samuel  Kirkland,  was  born  at  Little  Falls,  New 
York,  August  17,  1770,  and  died  in  Boston,  April 
26,  1840.  He  inherited  a  large  share  of  the  self- 
devoted  patriotism  of  his  father.  Although  but 
five  years  old  when  the  Revolutionary  War  began, 
he  must  have  been  stirred  to  take  an  interest  in 
what  he  saw  and  heard  about  it,  —  especially  as 
his  father,  so  early  as  July  18,  1775,  was  recom- 
mended by  the  Continental  Congress  as  adapted 
to  labor  among  the  Indians  and  preserve  their 
neutrality  during  the  war,  and  at  once  engaged  in 
that  arduous  and  responsible  work. 

From  a  mother  of  distinguished  public  spirit, 
energy,  wisdom,  and  devotedness,  he  received  the 
rudiments  of  a  high  intellectual  and  moral  excel- 
lence. At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  sent  to 
Phillips  Academy  at  Andover,  where  he  acquitted 
himself  creditably  as  a  student,  and  by  his  exem- 
plary deportment.  Entering  Harvard  College  in 
1785,  his  course  there  was  commendable  both  in 
scholarship  and  character.  His  patriotic  spirit 
showed  itself  in  1787,  when,  at  the  early  age  of 
sixteen,  suspending  his  studies,  he  joined  a  mili- 
tary corps  for  the  suppression  of  the  Shays  Rebel- 
lion. We  see  here  the  germ  of  that  interest  in 
military  tactics,  and  desire  to  encourage  the  forma- 
tion of  military  companies,  which  he  felt  in  his  sub- 
sequent life.     He  evidently  regarded  this  form  of 


152  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

service  as  important  to  the  welfare  of  the  re- 
public. In  my  college  life  during  his  presidency, 
there  existed  the  Harvard  Washington  Corps,  to 
which  I  belonged  ;  and  I  recollect  the  pleasure 
with  which  he  welcomed  the  West  Point  Cadets, 
when  they  visited  the  University,  and  invited  them 
to  dine  with  us  in  our  Commons  Hall. 

After  his  graduation  in  1789,  he  assisted  in  An- 
dover  Academy  for  a  year,  and  purposed  to  take 
up  the  law  as  his  profession.  He  thought  it 
"  good  for  exerting,"  as  he  said,  "  the  virtues  of 
integrity  and  patriotism."  He  expresses  his  regrets 
that  "  public  spirit  is  decaying,"  and  "  that  hardi- 
hood of  character  which  becomes  republicans." 
But  he  finally  decided  to  enter  the  ministry,  and 
studied  for  some  time,  in  his  preparation  for  that 
office,  under  Eev.  Dr.  West  of  Stockbridge,  and 
afterward  completed  his  professional  studies  with 
Professor  Tappan,  in  Cambridge.  The  influence  of 
Dr.  West,  a  prominent  and  devoted  patriot  of  that 
period,  must  have  done  much  to  strengthen  his 
naturally  patriotic  spirit. 

Dr.  Kirkland  had  a  strong  historic  taste,  exhib- 
ited in  many  ways.  He  was  elected  in  his  early 
ministry  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society,  was  for  some  years  one  of  its  officers,  and 
continued  his  membership  for  thirty-two  years. 
He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  political  condition 
of  the  country,  and  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
old  Federal  party.  Some  of  his  letters  show  the 
strength   of  his  political  convictions  and  feelings. 


KIRKLAND    FAMILY.  153 

February  10,  1809,  he  wrote  to  one  who  had  said 
he  thought  the  Democrats  must  be  soon  led  into 
better  courses  by  "  the  bright  lamps  of  truth  and 
honor  shining  all  around  them."  "  What  good," 
he  replied,  "  will  they,  [  the  lamps]  do  those 
who  choose  false  lights,  or  who  are  moles  that  sun- 
shine cannot  make  see  ?  "  Writing  again,  April 
12,  1810,  to  Josiah  Quincy,  then  a  Representative 
in  Congress,  he  says :  "  The  administration  will  not 
dare  to  repeat  their  outrageous  measures  ;  we  are 
not  to  be  made  the  quiet  and  harmless  victims  of 
their  party  passions,  French  politics,  and  Demo- 
cratic feelings." 

During  his  ministry  in  the  Summer  Street 
Church  in  Boston,  he  preached  many  sermons 
imbued  with  his  decided  views  as  a  warm  friend 
of  his  country,  especially  on  occasions  when 
the  public  mind  was  agitated  by  the  political 
measures  and  the  great  national  questions  of  the 
day. 

Both  by  inheritance  and  early  education  Dr. 
Kirkland  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  character  and 
prospects  of  the  Indians.  His  views  on  that  subject 
are  especially  noteworthy,  amid  the  controversies 
of  the  present  day  in  regard  to  that  hapless  race. 
In  a  volume  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collec- 
tions, we  have  his  answer  to  questions  respecting 
the  Indians,  dated  February,  1795,  in  which  he  dis- 
cusses, with  brevity  and  force,  their  situation,  ca- 
pacities and  deserts.  Three  years  previously  he  had 
resided  in  their  neighborhood  several  months,  and 


154  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

became  acquainted  with  the  Oneida  Indians  living 
a  few  miles  south  of  Oneida  Lake,  with  the  Stock- 
bridge  Indians  living  near  the  chief  Oneida  vil- 
lage, and  with  the  Brothertown  Indians,  living 
eight  miles  south  of  the  Stockbridge  settlement. 
He  thinks  that,  "  as  the  whites  advance  toward  the 
Indians,  the  latter  become  vicious,  intemperate, 
sickly,  and  dispirited,  and  in  general  diminish  in 
numbers."  While  they  acknowledge  the  import- 
ance of  industry  and  the  arts  to  their  happiness, 
respectability,  and  even  existence,  they  will  add, 
"  Indians  can't  work."  "  The  character  of  parents  is 
transmitted  to  the  children,  who  grow  up  in  all 
that  indolence,  listlessness,  and  intemperance  which 
their  predecessors  exemplified,  lamented,  and  con- 
demned." Although  Mr.  Kirkland's  view  was  at 
that  time  doubtless  correct,  some  progress  has  since 
been  made  in  their  intellectual  and  moral  culture, 
and  their  consequent  civilization. 

No  view  of  Dr.  Kirkland's  character  is  complete 
which  omits  to  notice  that,  with  his  substantial 
qualities  he  united  a  rich  vein  of  wit  and  humor. 
At  social  gatherings,  laying  aside  the  cares  and 
constraints  of  office,  his  conversation  was  free,  his 
tone  genial,  and  his  spirit  at  times  mirthful.  The 
subject  of  the  writing  of  sermons  coming  up  at 
a  ministers'  meeting,  one  and  another  spoke  of  the 
gifts  of  certain  preachers.  "  Oh,"  said  he,  "  there 
is  C.  B.  will  write  a  sermon  in  twenty  minutes 
and  make  nothing  of  it." 

Dr.   Kirkland  resigned  his  office  as  President  of 


KIRKLAND    FAMILY.  155 

Harvard  University,  which  he  had  held  with  great 
success  for  eighteen  years,  in  1828.  After  thir- 
teen years  of  retirement  he  died  at  Boston,  April 
26,  1840,  aged  sixty-nine  years,  —  having  been 
honored,  in  every  station  he  had  filled,  for  his  in- 
tellectual ability  and  culture,  beloved  by  every  one 
who  knew  his  inexhaustible  kindness,  crowned  with 
wisdom,  purity,  and  self-sacrifice.  Loved  in  life,  he 
was  lamented  in  death. 

Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland  Lothrop  was  admitted 
a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati  in  1868,  under  the  rule  adopted  by  the 
General  Society,  May  1854.  He  is  a  grandson  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  whom  I  have  already 
noticed  as  a  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary  War 
from  1776  until  the  end  of  the  contest.  He  was 
a  son  of  John  H.,  and  Jerusha  (Kirkland)  Lothrop. 
He  was  born  in  Utica,  New  York,  October  13, 1804, 
and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1825.  He 
was  ordained  over  the  Second  Church  in  Dover, 
New  Hampshire,  February  18,  1829  ;  and,  June  18, 
1834,  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Brattle  Street 
Church,  Boston.  He  received  the  degree  of  D.  D. 
from  Harvard  College  in  1852 ;  was  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Overseers  of  Harvard  College  from 
1847  to  1854 ;  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  and  the  author  of  a  "  Life  of 
Samuel  Kirkland  "  in  Sparks's  American  Biogra- 
phy, a  "History  of  Brattle  Street  Church,"  1851, 
and  "  Proceedings  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Council  in 
the  case  of  Rev.  John  Pierpont,"  1841,  beside  many 


156 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


articles  in  the  reviews  of  the  day,  and  sermons 
and  addresses.  Classmates  in  Harvard  Divinity 
School  from  1825  to  1828,  we  have  enjoyed  an  un- 
interrupted friendship  through  our  protracted 
lives. 


DOROTHY  HANCOCK'S  RECEPTION. 


CHAPTER    X. 

ELLERY     FAMILY. 

The  names  of  William  Ellery  and  William 
Ellery  Channing  are  properly  placed  in  consecu- 
tive chapters.  The  men  they  unite  stood,  in  more 
than  one  aspect,  in  a  kindred  relation  to  each 
other.  Believing  firmly  in  the  doctrine  of  hered- 
ity, I  have  placed  them  in  juxtaposition.  Many 
of  the  traits  of  Dr.  Channing  may  be  traced  to 
germs  found  in  his  distinguished  ancestor.  The 
one  was  born  early  in  the  same  century  which  pro- 
duced the  other.  They  were  alike  in  many  of 
their  qualities  of  character,  in  their  deep  and 
steadfast  patriotism,  in  their  devotion  to  truth  and 
to  liberty,  and  their  faith  in  and  loyalty  to  that 
great  Being,  the  God  of  nature,  of  reason,  and  of 
revelation.  Dr.  Channing,  it  is  true,  stood  pre- 
eminent in  his  genius  as  a  writer  and  speaker,  as 
a  man  to  be  marked  through  centuries  for  his  rare 
intellect  and  his  moral  and  spiritual  exaltation. 
Yet  both  had  the  same  consecration  to  the  loftiest 
principles  of  thought  and  life. 

William  Ellery,  whose  earliest  ancestor  of  whom 
we  possess  a  record  was  William   Ellery,  freeman 


158  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  1672,  and  elected  Representative  of  Gloucester 
in  1689,  was  born  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  De- 
cember 22,  1727.  He  was  the  grandfather  of  Wil- 
liam Ellery  Channing,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
place  April  8,  1780,  and  lived  near,  and  under  the 
influence  of,  his  grandparent.  The  great-grand- 
father of  the  latter,  William  Ellery,  was  born  in 
Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  October  31,  1701;  and  his 
life  and  character  foreshadowed  to  a  degree  the 
eminence  of  his  two  descendants.  He  enjoyed,  it 
is  evident,  the  confidence  of  the  community,  as  he 
was  elected  to  the  offices  of  judge,  assistant,  and 
deputy-governor.  The  inscription  on  his  tomb- 
stone commemorates  in  Latin,  not  only  his  piety, 
and  his  many  private  virtues,  but  also  his  attach- 
ment to  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

William  Ellery,  his  son,  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1747,  and  was  one  of  eight  of  the  name 
who  had  graduated  at  New  England  colleges  up  to 
1828.  Although  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
at  first,  he  was  afterward  a  naval  officer  of  the 
Colony.  But,  under  the  embarrassments  of  com- 
merce through  the  revenue  and  non-importation 
acts,  he  gave  up  this  office  "  when,"  as  he  says, 
"  there  was  little  or  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to 
join  heart  and  hand  with  the  Sons  of  Liberty." 

In  1770  he  entered  on  the  practice  of  law. 
He  was  soon  asked  to  defend  the  New  York  Com- 
mittee of  Inspection  against  a  person  who  prose- 
cuted them  for  burning  goods  brought  into  the 
city  in  violation  of  the  non-importation  agreement. 


ELLERY    FAMILY.  159 

"  You  may  depend  upon  my  exerting  myself,"  he 
says,  "  in  your  behalf  in  this  suit,  for  the  cause  of 
liberty  I  always  have  had  close  at  heart."  In 
another  letter  he  writes  :  "  I  rejoice  that  I  had  a 
share,  however  small  it  might  be,  in  the  repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act."  This  spirit  was  manifest  in  his 
whole  character ;  he  was  known  for  his  good  sense, 
his  firmness  and  devotion  to  the  public  cause. 

He  had  been  placed  on  important  committees  to 
procure  the  repeal  of  oppressive  revenue  acts,  and 
was  in  harmony  with  the  men  in  other  colonies 
who  were  preparing  the  people  for  a  separation 
from  the  mother  country,  if  it  could  not  be  hon- 
orably avoided. 

His  course  inspired  confidence  in  his  fitness  for  a 
high  public  trust ;  and  in  the  memorable  Continen- 
tal Congress  of  1776  he  appeared  as  a  delegate  from 
Rhode  Island.  He  took  his  seat  in  that  body  May 
14,  and  his  venerated  colleague,  Stephen  Hopkins, 
and  himself  put  their  names,  July  4,  to  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence.  His  firm  and  beautiful 
signature  contrasts  strikingly  with  the  tremulous 
character  of  his  colleague's,  whose  limbs  were 
shaken  by  age  and  illness,  although  his  spirit  was  as 
intrepid  and  his  perceptions  were  as  clear  as  those 
of  any  around  him.  Mr.  Ellery  used,  in  his  after 
life,  to  describe  this  scene  wTith  great  animation. 
What  must  have  been  his  sensations,  knowing,  as 
he  did,  that  he  then  pledged  himself  to  stand  by 
an  act  so  fearfully  responsible  that  he  might  al- 
most feel  the  very  hand  of  the  King's  officer  upon 


160  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

him  for  his  audacious  treason.  "  I  placed  my- 
self," he  tells  us,  "  by  the  side  of  Charles  Thom- 
son, the  secretary,  and  observed  the  expression 
and  manner  of  each  member  as  he  came  up  to 
sign  the  Declaration."  But  we  can  see  that,  while 
he  looks  on  so  intently,  it  is  with  a  calm  and  firm 
spirit,  with  the  feeling  that  these  men  are  equal  to 
the  crisis.  Many  of  them  evidently  recognized  the 
act  with  awe,  perhaps  with  uncertainty  as  to  its 
effect,  but  none  with  fear.  "  I  was  determined,"  he 
often  said,  "  to  see  how  they  all  looked,  as  they 
signed  what  might  be  their  death-warrant.  Un- 
daunted resolution  was  displayed  in  every  coun- 
tenance." 

He  was  naturally  a  quiet  man,  and  strong  in  his 
attachments  to  home.  "  But,"  as  he  expressed  him- 
self at  the  time,  "  I  placed  my  obligations  to 
uphold  liberty  as  high  as  those  that  bound  me  to 
my  wife  and  children."  Although  cheerful,  face- 
tious, and  no  ascetic,  Mr.  Ellery  was  opposed  to 
some  of  the  popular  recreations  of  those  days. 
He  says  in  one  of  his  letters :  — 

I  wish,  while  we  are  encouraging  the  importation  of 
the  amusements,  follies,  and  vices  of  Great  Britain, 
America  would  encourage  the  introduction  of  her  vir- 
tues, if  she  have  any.  .  .  .  This  I  am  very  clear  in, 
that  exhibitions  of  players,  rope-dancers,  and  mounte- 
banks have  a  more  effectual  tendency,  by  disembowel- 
ling the  purse  and  enfeebling  the  mind,  to  sap  the 
foundations  of  patriotism  and  public  virtue,  than  any  of 
the  yet  practised  efforts  of  a  despotic  ministry. 


ELLERY    FAMILY.  161 

He  was  on  a  visit  to  his  family  when  the  follow- 
ing resolutions  passed  through  Congress, ;  yet  had 
he  been  in  his  seat,  he  would  probably  have  given 
his  vote  for  them  :  — 

October  12,  1778.  Whereas  :  True  Religion  and 
good  morals  are  the  only  solid  foundations  of  public  lib- 
erty and  happiness,  —  Resolved :  That  it  be,  and  it 
hereby  is,  earnestly  recommended  to  the  several  States 
to  take  the  most  effectual  measures  for  the  encourage- 
ment thereof,  and  for  the  suppression  of  theatrical 
entertainments,  horse-racing,  gaming,  and  such  other 
diversions  as  are  productive  of  idleness,  dissipation,  and 
a  general  depravity  of  principles  and  manners. 

October  16,  1778.  Whereas  :  Frequenting  play- 
houses and  theatrical  entertainments  has  a  fatal  tendency 
to  divert  the  minds  of  the  people  from  a  due  attention  to 
the  means  necessary  for  the  defence  of  their  country  and 
the  preservation  of  their  liberties,  —  Resolved :  That 
every  person  holding  an  office  under  the  United  States, 
who  shall  act,  promote,  encourage,  or  attend  such  plays, 
shall  be  deemed  unworthy  to  hold  such  office,  and  shall 
be  accordingl}T  dismissed. 

Enactments  like  these  look  strangely  to  our 
eyes,  who  find  that,  not  only  have  members  of 
Congress  indulged  in  gaming  quite  freely,  but 
taken  special  pleasure  in  witnessing  horse-races  ; 
and  as  to  theatrical  amusements,  I  believe  that  not 
a  single  President  of  the  United  States  has  de- 
prived himself  of  a  seat,  not  to  say  a  special  seat, 
in  the  theatre. 

Mr.  Ellery  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  a  diary 

li 


162  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  his  experiences  on  his  journeys,  which  were  on 
horseback,  to  and  from  Congress.  Of  one  of  these, 
in  the  autumn  of  1777,  he  writes :  — 

November  1.  We  spent  the  Sabbath  at  Hartford. 
In  the  afternoon  heard  Mr.  Strong  preach  a  good  ser- 
mon, and  most  melodious  singing.  The  psalmody  was 
performed  in  all  its  parts,  and  softness,  more  than  loud- 
ness, seemed  to  be  the  aim  of  the  performers. 

This  was  probably  very  rare  singing  for  those 
days.     He  writes  at  one  time  :  — 

Connecticut  has  collected  and  ordered  taxes  to  the 
amount  of  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  more  than  she 
had  issued.     Brave  spirits  ! 

One  day  he  gives  us  an  idea  of  the  old  Revolu- 
tionary style  of  travel  by  great  men  :  — 

November  7.  On  our  way  to  the  ferry  (North 
River)  we  met  President  Hancock  in  a  sulky,  escorted 
by  one  of  his  secretaries,  and  two  or  three  other  gentle- 
men, and  one  light-horseman.  This  event  surprised  us, 
as  it  seemed  inadequate  to  the  purpose  either  of  defence 
or  parade.  But  our  surprise  was  not  of  long  continu- 
ance ;  for  we  had  not  rode  far  before  we  met  six  or 
eight  light-horsemen  on  the  canter  ;  and  just  as  we 
reached  the  ferry,  a  boat  arrived  with  as  many  more. 
These,  with  the  one  light-horseman  and  the  gentlemen 
before  mentioned,  made  up  the  escort  of  Mr.  President 
Hancock.  Who  would  not  be  a  great  man  ?  I  verily 
believe  that  the  President,  as  he  passes  through  the 
country  thus  escorted,  feels  a  more  triumphant  satis- 


ELLERY    FAMILY.  163 

faction  than  the  Colonel  of  the  Queen's  Regiment  of 
Dragoons,  attended  by  his  whole  army,  and  an  escort  of 
a  thousand  militia. 

November  13.  Met  Mr.  Samuel  Adams  and  Mr. 
John  Adams,  about  nine  miles  from  Leven's,  and  hard 
by  a  tavern.  They  turned  back  to  the  inn,  where  we 
chatted,  and  ate  bread  and  butter  together.  They  were, 
to  my  great  sorrow,  bound  home.  I  could  not  but  la- 
ment that  Congress  should  be  without  their  counsels, 
and  myself  without  their  conversation. 

Mr.  Ellery  won  public  confidence  by  his  disin- 
terested devotion  to  the  country.  His  property  at 
Newport  was  injured  by  the  war,  and  even  his  own 
house  burned  to  the  ground.  Still  he  adhered  to 
the  Congress,  where  he  believed  he  could  be,  and 
was,  useful,  and  left  his  possessions  at  home  to  the 
care  of  his  fellow-citizens.  His  conduct  was 
always  straightforward  and  independent,  —  earnest, 
yet  wise  and  prudent.  He  was  a  man  to  be 
trusted  at  all  times,  —  honest,  thoroughly  good-prin- 
cipled, and  therefore  respected  even  by  those  who 
did  not  agree  with  him  in  opinions  and  measures. 
Throughout  the  war  he  had  great  influence,  and 
after  its  close,  in  1784,  he  was  placed  on  the  im- 
portant committee  appointed  to  ratify  the  articles 
of  peace  with  Great  Britain. 

He  had  a  Christian  abhorrence  of  war;  and  still, 
while  his  country  was  involved  in  this  calamity,  he 
stood  by  her.  In  October,  1783,  he  was  chairman 
of  a  committee  of  Congress  who  reported  resolu- 
tions in  honor  of  his  fellow-citizen  General  Greene, 


164  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  presenting  to  him  two  fieldpieces  taken  from 
the  British  army,  in  the  southern  department,  as  a 
testimonial  to  his  wisdom,  bravery,  and  military 
skill  in  that  service.  And  in  1813,  when  another 
fellow-citizen  had  achieved  a  memorable  naval 
victory,  Mr.  Ellery  joined  in  the  universal  expres- 
sion, saying  :  "  Commodore  Perry's  exploit  on 
Lake  Erie  is  glorious." 

No  man  could  have  been  more  modest  than  he 
in  the  appreciation  of  his  own  services  to  the 
country.  "  I  was,"  said  he  late  in  life,  "  a  member 
of  Congress  when  Chatham  eulogized  that  body, 
and  possibly  I  might  have  been  vain  enough  to 
have  snuffed  up  part  of  that  incense  as  my  share  ; 
but  the  more  I  have  known  of  myself,  the  more 
reason  I  have  had  not  to  think  too  highly  of  my- 
self. Humility,  rather  than  pride,  becomes  such 
creatures  as  we  are." 

His  love  of  truth  proved  him  a  legitimate  an- 
cestor of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Channing.  They  both  were 
slow  in  arriving  at  convictions  on  important  sub- 
jects, and  weighed  justly  the  opinions  of  those 
from  whom  they  finally  differed.  Both  were  dis- 
tinguished for  candor,  fairness,  and  honesty  in  their 
views  of  all  questions  and  the  results  which  they 
reached.  Mr.  Ellery  was  indignant  at  the  course 
of  those  who  would  lord  it  over  others  in  matters 
religious  or  political.  He  speaks  thus  of  reading 
two  large  volumes  of  sermons  by  Isaac  Barrow :  "  I 
do  not  regret  the  time  I  spent  in  reading  them, 
and  I  am  about  to  read  Calvin's  Institutes.     I  think 


ELLERY    FAMILY.  165 

I  can  read  books  of  theology  without  being  over- 
influenced  by  names.  What  appears  to  me  to  be 
right  I  shall  embrace,  and  reject  the  chaff  and 
stubble."  He  gave  himself  loyally  to  religious 
truth.     Said  he  :  — 

I  believe  if  party  names  were  entirely  disused,  there 
would  be  more  harmony  among  Christians.  I  heard  a 
sensible  minister  of  the  Gospel  inveigh,  in  a  sermon 
against  the  Hopkinsians,  as  he  called  them,  in  such  a 
bitter  manner,  that  I  dare  say  one  half,  at  least,  of  his 
congregation  would  have  avoided  any  writing  of  Dr. 
Hopkins  as  they  would  a  most  venomous  serpent.  And 
yet  I  don't  in  the  least  doubt  that  this  same  minister,  if 
he  had  heard  the  first  Episcopal  clergyman  in  Newport 
declare,  from  the  pulpit,  that  the  breath  of  a  Dissenter 
was  infectious,  would  have  severely  reprobated  it. 

The  tone  and  spirit  of  this  language  descended 
plenteously  on  his  broad-hearted  grandson. 

Mr.  Ellery  found  it  difficult,  however,  to  carry 
the  same  charity  uniformly  into  his  political  senti- 
ments. He  was  a  Whig  of  the  Revolution,  and  a 
Federalist  of  Washington's  day ;  and,  unlike  the 
Democrats  of  that  period,  he  held  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte in  the  utmost  abhorrence.  He  feared  that 
he  might  vanquish  the  Russians,  and  get  possession 
of  St.  Petersburg.     He  writes  :  — 

I  wish  I  may  be  mistaken,  and  that  Heaven  may  put 
a  hook  in  his  jaws  and  draw  him  back,  and  overthrow 
his  immense  army.  How  long  this  dreadful  scourge 
will  be  suffered  to  lay  waste  and  destroy,  the  Lord  only 
knoweth.  It  is  a  matter  of  consolation,  and  even  of  joy, 
that  the  Lord  reigneth. 


166  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

In  the  midst  of  the  convulsions  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  all  the  public  dangers  and  sufferings, 
this  was  steadfastly  his  final  word  :  "  The  Lord 
reigneth."  It  will  be  recollected  that  his  grand- 
son inherited  his  strong  feeling  in  regard  to  Napo- 
leon. In  his  essay  on  that  man  he  says  :  "  Such  a 
person  should  be  caged  like  a  wild  beast." 

Mr.  Ellery,  although  quiet  and  undemonstrative, 
was  a  man  of  no  ordinary  powers  and  gifts.  He 
did  much  for  his  country  in  her  hour  of  greatest 
need;  but  his  signal  work,  after  all,  was  upon  his 
own  character.  This  was  not  the  growth  of  origi- 
nal qualities,  easily  directed,  and  prone  only  to 
love,  purity,  and  all  moral  excellence.  He  was 
not  gentle  from  an  inborn  meekness,  nor  good 
from  the  force  of  outward  circumstances.  On  the 
contrary  he  owed  everything,  we  can  see,  to  per- 
sonal discipline,  self-inspection,  and  self-control. 
This  was  to  be  noticed  in  his  first  attempts  to  speak 
in  Congress.  He  used  to  say  that  it  seemed  to  him 
when  he  rose,  that  he  knew  nothing,  and  he 
sat  down  very  little  satisfied  with  himself.  But  he 
resolved  not  to  give  way  a  moment  to  weakness  or 
awkwardness;  and  in  time  "  he  became,"  as  others 
testified,  "  not  indeed  an  orator,  but  an  easy  and 
useful  debater,  and  had  always  something  to  say  to 
the  purpose."     • 

When  his  public  life  was  over,  he  lived  on,  still 
interested  in  his  country,  regular  and  simple  in  his 
habits,  fond  of  reading,  and  attractive  in  conversa- 
tion, —  carried  along  from  year  to  year,  with  little 


ELLERY    FAMILY.  167 

loss  of  bodily  vigor,  and  none  of  spirits,  memory, 
or  force  of  mind.  His  letters,  written  in  the  clear 
and  firm  hand  of  his  early  days,  were  full  of  affec- 
tion, humor,  and  kind  regard  to  others.  In  his 
eighty-fourth  year  he  writes  thus  of  the  blessings 
reserved  for  that  period  of  life  :  — 

I  do  not  think,  notwithstanding  the  afflictive  dispen- 
sations of  Providence  in  the  loss  of  friends,  and  the  dis- 
eases and  irritability  to  which  old  age  is  frequently 
subject,  that  it  is  so  undesirable  a  condition  as  some 
have  represented  it  to  be.  As  to  employment  of  time,  I 
have  experienced  such  instruction  and  delight  in  read- 
ing and  investigating  truth,  that  I  mean,  as  long  as  my 
mind  is  capable  of  bearing  it,  to  keep  it  in  exercise,  and 
doze  as  little  as  possible.  There  are  those  who  think 
that  the  miseries  of  life  are  greater  than  its  joys.  I  am 
not  one  of  them,  especially  when  I  consider  the  numer- 
ous objects  contrived  and  adapted  to  please  our  senses 
and  our  appetites,  the  discoveries  which  natural  phi- 
losophy has  made  and  is  making,  the  improvements  in 
arts  and  advance  in  science  and  in  the  philosophy  of 
the  mind,  the  profit  and  delight  which  attend  reading 
and  conversation,  and  compare  the  sources  of  pleasure, 
which  kind  Providence  has  furnished  to  entertain  and 
instruct  us  in  our  pilgrimage,  with  the  miseries  of  life. 
It  appears  to  me  that  the  latter  are  but  just  enough 
to  constitute  this  a  probationary  state,  —  to  prepare  us, 
by  the  exercise  of  virtue  and  piety,  for  a  mode  of  exist- 
ence in  which  they  who  act  according  to  the  will  of 
God  will  enjoy  uncontrasted  and  eternal  felicity. 

The  year  before  his  death  he  writes  again  :  — 

There  is  no  fence  or  guard  that  can  secure  us  against 
the   infirmities  of  old  age.     They  must  come,  and  it  is 


168  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

our  duty  to  bear  them  with  patience,  and  not  murmur 
at  the  condition  on  which  long  life  is  held. 

February  10,  1820,  his  clergyman  was  with  him 
an  hour.  They  spoke  of  the  prospect  of  death, 
and  he  said  it  was  an  event  which  for  two  years  he 
had  been  fully  prepared  for,  and  even  desired. 
The  next  day  his  doctor  said  to  him,  "  Your  pulse 
beats  very  well."  "  Charmingly,"  he  replied.  On 
another  day  he  said  that  he  knew  he  was  dying; 
and  in  two  hours  he  passed  away,  February  15, 
1820,  in  the  ninety- third  year  of  his  age.  Happy 
in  his  life,  happy  in  his  departure  from  it,  he  was 
a  genuine  patriot,  a  true  man,  "  an  honest  man, 
the  noblest  work  of  God." 


BUNKER    HILL    MONUMENT. 


CHAPTER   XL 

WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING. 

The  centennial  exercises  in  1880,  commemorat- 
ing the  birth  of  Dr.  Channing,  gave  gleams  from 
the  inner  life  of  that  great  man  of  intense  inter- 
est. We  had  so  long  been  quickened  and  elevated 
by  his  varied  public  productions  that  we  earnestly 
desired  to  know  more  of  his  private  thought  and 
experience.  It  is  much  to  see  anything  of  the 
hidden  motions  of  a  spirit  so  sensitive  to  all  that 
is  pure,  noble,  broad,  and  tender  in  this  our  com- 
mon life.  We  instinctively  catch  with  eagerness 
every  word  that  reveals  to  us  the  man  himself. 

This  popular  interest  is  enhanced  in  those  who 
had  a  personal  knowledge  of  Dr.  Channing.  Can 
we  who  knew  him  ever  forget  that  slight  frame 
gliding  through  the  street  in  midwinter,  muffled  so 
closely  against  the  air  ?  We  are  not  surprised  that 
he  regarded  himself  for  long  years  as  having  but 
the  slenderest  hold  upon  life.  No  wonder  we 
sometimes  heard  that  from  day  to  day  it  required 
thetenderest  nursing  to  keep  the  soul  in  the  body. 
See  him  on  Sunday  as  he  moves  up   the    pulpit 


170  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

stairs.  His  debility  fills  you  with  sympathy  and 
anxiety.  He  sinks  exhausted  on  his  seat ;  and, 
when  he  rises  to  give  out  a  hymn,  he  is  too  weak, 
you  fear,  for  the  service.  The  single  lock  of  his  soft 
brown  hair,  as  it  falls  across  his  forehead,  contrasts 
strongly  with  its  transparent  paleness,  and  his  thin, 
hollow  cheeks  are  covered  with  pain-caused  lines. 
The  first  tones  of  his  voice,  though  feeble  and  low, 
are  reverential,  and  stir  the  hushed  congregation 
to  devoutness.  After  a  hymn,  read  with  more 
strength,  is  sung,  he  rises  for  the  sermon.  A  few 
sentences  are  uttered,  when  you  feel  that,  out  of  all 
this  weakness,  there  are  coming  words  of  a  rare 
energy.  His  full  eye  kindles,  his  voice  gains 
strength,  and,  forgetting  his  delicate  figure,  you 
are  borne  on,  with  increasing  sway,  assured  that 
this  man  is  a  power  to  move,  thrill,  and  inspire. 

Perhaps  there  was  never  a  more  striking  demon- 
stration of  the  power  of  the  human  will  over  the 
body  than  in  Dr.  Channing.  I  met  him  often  at 
councils  for  ordination  and  elsewhere ;  and  his 
face  usually  bore  the  marks  of  his  habitual  intro- 
version. It  was  his  misfortune  to  be  a  bad  sleeper ; 
and  we  could  read  in  the  fallen  cheek,  and  dis- 
coloring about  the  eye,  proofs  that  often,  in  the 
midnight  hour,  he  was  a  victim  of  wakefulness, 
that  "  tyrant  of  the  burning  brain."  His  intense 
thoughtfulness  and  strong  concentration,  and  habit 
of  rapid  and  fervid  composition  —  to  be  afterward 
sedulously  corrected  —  preyed  at  times  fearfully 
on  his   delicate  organization.     He  had,  it  is  true, 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING.  171 

the  advantage  on  one  side,  of  a  vigorous  ancestry. 
His  grandfather,  William  Ellery,  lived  to  the  age 
of  ninety-three,  and  two  of  his  own  brothers 
reached  a  remarkable  old  age.  We  should  give 
him  credit,  too,  for  great  care  of  himself.  His 
wise  words  may  well  be  heeded  by  our  students 
and  writers  :  "  The  only  true  specifics  for  keeping 
health  are  exercise,  temperance  (in  the  large  sense 
of  the  word),  and  cheerfulness." 

He  was  indebted  not  only  to  his  maternal  grand- 
parent, but  to  his  own  father,  for  germs  of  per- 
sonal worth.  William  Channing,  the  father,  was 
a  business  man  of  high  integrity,  a  fit  companion 
of  Lucy  Ellery,  the  mother.  Both  were  faithful 
and  friendly  to  all,  self-reliant  and  of  command- 
ing qualities,  alike  energetic  and  benignant.  The 
son  inherited,  on  each  side,  a  character  conscien- 
tious, truthful,  tender,  elastic  under  trouble,  and 
cheerful  to  the  last. 

The  union  of  apparently  conflicting  elements  in 
Dr.  Channing  was  most  striking.  He  combined 
great  physical  weakness  with  a  still  greater  mental 
energy.  In  private  conversation  he  seemed  at 
times  feeble,  suffering,  and  dependent ;  his  voice 
was  low  and  his  utterance  difficult.  One  who  did 
not  notice  his  eyes  would  often  think  him  languid, 
perhaps  destitute  of  force.  Being  human,  he,  of 
course,  shared  the  imperfection  of  oar  nature.  Of 
a  very  ardent  and  excitable  temperament,  he  was 
yet  a  model  of  self-control.  I  remember  seeing 
but  a  single  instance  of  the  slightest  loss  of  this 


172  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

power.  At  the  council  before  the  ordination  of 
one  of  our  young  ministers  he  was  strenuous  for  a 
written  certificate  of  church-membership  from  the 
candidate.  And  as,  for  a  strong  reason,  that  docu- 
ment could  not  be  presented  to  the  council,  he 
was  unwilling  to  give  his  vote  for  the  ordination 
to  proceed.  The  discussion  on  this  point  elicited 
some  feeling  on  his  part.  But  however  any  of  us 
might,  at  the  present  day,  dissent  from  his  position, 
this  incident  gave  proof  of  his  thorough  conscien- 
tiousness, and  that  to  an  exalted  spirituality  he 
united  a  firm  adherence  to  what  he  regarded  as 
important  ecclesiastical  forms. 
■  His  was  a  truly  liberal  mind.  I  often  saw  him 
at  conventions.  I  remember  one  of  what  was 
popularly  called  Come-outers,  in  Chardon  Street 
Chapel,  Boston,  which  he  attended.  He  was  fond 
of  being  present  whenever  any  new  light  was 
even  slightly  promised.  Some  might  have  said  he 
occasionally  compromised  his  dignity  in  this  way. 
But  not  so;  you  saw  that  he  was  in  search  of 
truth,  and  would  recognize  it  wherever  found. 

Like  his  grandfather  Ellery,  he  was  intensely 
opposed  to  slavery.  After  the  murder  of  Rev. 
Elijah  Lovejoy  at  Alton,  Illinois,  he  attended  a 
meeting  of  indignant  remonstrance  in  Faneuil 
Hall,  December  8,  1837.  Public  opinion  was  then 
exceedingly  sensitive  on  the  agitation  of  the  slav- 
ery question.  But  Channing  did  not  fear  its 
rebuke.  Others  might  blench,  but  he  remained 
firm.     I   see  him,  as  I  did  that  day  —  the  bright 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CIIANNING.  173 

rays  of  a  winter  sun  shining  on  his  noble   head,  — 
as  he  stood  upon  that   platform.     He  attempts  to 
speak    amid    hisses   and  jeers,   and   at  length  ex- 
presses   his    amazement  that  every   man   present 
does  not  join  in  a   denunciation   of  this  desecra- 
tion of  God's  image,  and  insult  to  human  justice. 
Calm  himself,  with  a  fearless  voice  and  manner,  he 
makes  a  solemn   appeal  to  every  lover  of  right, 
freedom,  and  justice,  and   then   offers  a   series  of 
resolutions,    setting    forth    a    protest   against   this 
trampling  on  a  free  press,  and  this  deed  of  crime 
and  bloodshed  before  the  God  of  justice  and  under 
a  government  of  equal  laws.     No  wonder  young 
Phillips  —  prompted  by  words  spoken  by  another, 
that   would  justify   the    murderers   at  Alton   and 
place   them   side  by  side  with  Otis   and  Hancock, 
with  Adams  and  Quincy  —  rose  and  said  he  thought 
"  those  pictured  lips,"  pointing  to  their  portraits  in 
the  hall,  "  would  have  broken  into  voice  to  rebuke 
the  recreant  American,  the  slanderer  of  the  dead." 
It  seemed    to    me   one   of  those   occasions   which 
carry  us  back  to  the  very  days  and  deeds   of  the 
noble  fathers  of  the  Eevolution.     Channing's  moral 
courage   was    worthy   a    protomartyr.      Then,   as 
always  in  relation  to   all  social    wrongs,   he   not 
only  felt  an  unfaltering   interest,  but  took  a  pub- 
lic and  bold  stand  against  them. 

He  was,  to  a  large  extent,  independent  of  criti- 
cism. I  often  saw  him  at  the  Boston  Athenaeum, 
and  sometimes  with  a  foreign  review  in  his  hand ; 
but,  it  has  been  said,  and,  I  have  good   reason   to 


174  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

believe  with  truth,  that  he  seldom  read  criticisms 
on  his  own  publications  :  perhaps  not  those  which 
were  commendatory ;  certainly  not,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  "Edinburgh  Review," — which  once  published 
a  severe  and  caustic  article  on  his  thoughts  and 
style,  —  those  written  against  him.  Pie  evidently 
apprehended  it  might  tempt  him  to  shrink  from 
the  utterance  of  his  own  views  fully  and  fear- 
lessly on  all  points  social,  religious,  or  political. 
He  said  once,  "  he  only  regretted  criticisms  which 
would  take  from  the  power  of  his  preaching." 

Father  Taylor  once  said  to  me,  comparing 
him  with  one  of  our  rare  men  who  seemed  at 
times  somewhat  cynical,  "  Dr.  Channing  is  a  sweet 
spirit/'  Reason  and  sensibility  were  never  di- 
vorced either  in  his  works  or  his  character.  To  an 
unquestioned  moral  courage  he  joined  a  singular 
tenderness  of  spirit.  He  who  was  dauntless  in 
every  point  of  duty,  and  heroic  in  his  public  utter- 
ances, was  as  sensitive  as  a  little  child  in  private 
intercourse. 

So  earnest  was  he  in  conversation  on  certain 
topics,  that  I  sometimes  felt  he  must  love  disputa- 
tion. There,  again,  he  reminded  one  of  his  distin- 
guished ancestor.  He  would  question,  and  take 
the  opposite  side,  and  appear  at  times  a  Pyrrhonist, 
so  full  was  he  of  doubts.  But,  all  the  while,  his 
aim  was  to  elicit  the  truth,  and  the  whole  truth, 
on  the  subject  before  him.  The  inquirer  —  seem- 
ingly almost  the  denier  —  in  private,  would,  in  this 
way,  at  last  reach  conclusions  which,  in  his  public 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING.  175 

discourses,    we    heard  him    maintain    with    moral 
enthusiasm. 

His  tender  tribute  to  his  personal  friend,  Rev. 
Charles  Follen,  LL.  D.  is  an  unconscious  portrait- 
ure, in  many  of  its  touching  passages,  of  his  own 
character.  To  one  privileged  personally  to  know 
them  both,  sentence  after  sentence  is  a  response  of 
two  noble  spirits,  who,  we  saw,  must  have  drunk 
sorrows  and  joys  from  a  common  cup.  Dr.  Follen 
filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Federal  Street  Church  for 
a  time,  during  the  illness  and  absence  abroad  of  its 
colleague  pastor.  Although  not  in  full  sympathy 
with  Garrison,  he  was  a  decided  abolitionist.  He 
did  not  hesitate  indeed  to  show  this  both  in  his 
writings  on  this  subject  and  in  his  speech,  public 
as  well  as  private.  Dr.  Chaiming  was  in  perfect 
sympathy  with  him,  and  he  desired  him  as  his 
temporary  associate  in  the  pulpit.  He  expressed 
this  wish,  it  was  said,  to  the  standing  committee 
of  his  society.  "  By  no  means,"  one  of  its  promi- 
nent members  is  reported  to  have  replied, —  "  by  no 
means  can  we  consent  to  have  our  pulpit  occupied 
by  an  abolitionist."  This  account  illustrates  re- 
markably the  state  of  public  opinion  at  that  time 
on  the  antislavery  question,  and  shows  the  mar- 
vellous revolution  produced  in  it  by  the  subsequent 
emancipation  of  the  colored  race  on  our  soil. 

The  prophetic  spirit  of  Dr.  Channing,  every- 
where discernible,  is  seen  in  one  of  his  letters  to 
Miss  Aiken,  in  which  he  replies  to  a  suggestion  of 
hers  in  regard  to  American  Slavery.     He  saw,  in 


176  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  power  of  Christian  principles,  a  force  that  he 
felt  confident  must  ultimately  lea'1  to  its  abolition. 
Referring  to  influences  of  a  milder  nature  he 
says:  "To  effect  great  reforms,  convulsions  are 
sometimes  necessary.  If  men  resist  a  beneficent 
innovation,  the  same  awful  Providence  which  has 
in  times  past  shaken  the  social  state  Avill  again 
heave  it  from  its  foundations."  But  little  did  he, 
apparently,  at  that  time  imagine  the  end  of  Amer- 
ican Slavery  could  be  so  near  as  it  was. 

One  could  not  spend  an  hour  with  Channing 
without  being  struck  with  his  singular  modesty. 
So  brave  in  public  and  fearless  in  uttering  his 
opinions,  in  conversation  he  seemed  to  take  always 
the  attitude  of  an  humble  inquirer.  Instead  of 
protruding  his  own  views,  he  studiously  sought 
those  of  others.  I  have  no  doubt,  from  his  air  and 
manner,  that  he  often  gained  quite  as  much,  in 
preparing  his  lectures  and  discourses,  from  conver- 
sation as  from  books. 

A  passage  in  one  of  his  letters  is  important  as 
serving  to  correct  an  erroneous  impression,  held  by 
some  persons  during  his  life,  in  regard  to  his  esti- 
mate of  himself  and  his  own  works.  A  friend 
once  spoke  to  me  of  his  undue  self-esteem,  and  re- 
ferred to  his  very  frequent  use  of  the  pronoun  in 
the  first  person  singular.  But  this  judgment  was 
singularly  unjust,  as  is  made  manifest  in  many 
ways.  Why  should  not  one  speak  of  himself 
simply  and  naturally  as  he  would  of  another  ? 
There  is   often   more  self-consciousness    and    real 


WILLIAM    ELLEKY    CHANNING.  177 

egotism  in  a  studied  avoiding  to  speak  of  self, 
than  in  a  direct  utterance  of  what  is  felt  and 
thought.  In  one's  private  letters  he  is  quite  sure 
to  give  his  true  opinion  of  himself.  And  how 
is  it  in  the  case  before  us  ?  "  You  ask,"  he  says 
to  Miss  Aiken,  "  about  my  great  work.  I  have 
nothing  great  about  me  but  the  undeveloped 
within."  In  another  place  he  writes  self-distrust- 
fully,  yet,  as  we  now  see,  without  good  reason : 
"  Pardon  my  egotism ;  I  see  far  higher  reputations 
fading  away,  and  who  am  I  that  I  should  live  ? 
Providence  is  to  raise  up  higher  lights.  ...  What 
better  can  we  ask  ?  "  These  words  recall  some  of 
his  grandfather  Ellery's,  almost  identical  with 
them. 

His  health  was  always  delicate;  and  sometimes 
rendered  his  voice  feeble.  I  recollect  a  Sunday 
when  many  of  his  hearers,  having  come  from  a 
chilling  atmosphere,  gave  way  to  a  sympathetic 
coughing.  The  preacher  was  manifestly  disturbed. 
He  at  length  paused,  and  requested  that  an  effort 
should  be  made  to  suppress  coughing,  as  he  found 
it  difficult  to  be  heard.  The  effect  was  magical. 
An  almost  profound  silence  followed,  and  we  had  a 
new  lesson  of  man's  power  over  what  are  often 
considered  wholly  involuntary  movements. 

Dr.  Channing,  singularly  just  to  other  persons, 
was  tried  by  the  practice,  not  uncommon  in  his 
church,  of  many  coming  to  the  door  and  waiting 
until  they  saw  whether  he  was  to  preach  or  an- 
other,   when    some,    if  disappointed,    would    turn 

12 


178  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

away  and  leave.  Perhaps  to  obviate  this  disre- 
spect to  his  devoted  colleague,  he  arranged  to 
preach  on  some  Sundays  in  the  morning  and  on 
others  in  the  afternoon.  A  friend  once  asked 
him,  probably  thinking  it  a  compliment,  "Are 
you  to  preach  to-morrow,  sir?"  The  quick 
reply  was,  "  There  will  be  divine  service  in  the 
church." 

Whenever  able  he  attended  church  as  a  hearer. 
It  was  no  slight  ordeal  to  a  young  minister  to 
preach  with  this  great  man  sitting  at  his  side  in 
the  pulpit.  I  recollect  his  kindness,  after  listening 
to  a  sermon  which  seemed  to  the  speaker  unworthy 
so  distinguished  a  listener,  —  with  what  friendly 
words,  while  he  approved  of  the  general  treatment 
of  the  subject,  he  criticised  a  fault  of  the  discourse 
in  not  qualifying  one  of  its  parts  which  made,  he 
thought,  not  too  great  account  of  consciousness 
as  an  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  too 
little  of  the  evidence  of  miracles.  He  was  to 
preach  himself  in  the  afternoon,  and  said  to  me, 
"  I  wish  I  could  invite  you  home  to  dine  with  me, 
but  I  am  obliged  to-day  to  give  up  conversation, 
and  spare  all  my  strength  for  the  service  this  after- 
noon." Within  a  few  months  afterward,  spending 
an  hour  or  two  with  him  and  his  family,  what  I 
had  lost  on  that  Sunday  was  more  than  made  up 
by  his  cordial  reception,  and  the  charm,  freedom, 
and  simplicity  of  his  whole  conversation  and 
manner. 

Usually  he  began  his  discourse  in  a  calm  and 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHAINING.  179 

quiet  manner,  and  as  he  proceeded,  gained  in 
power,  and  at  the  conclusion  flamed  up  with  great 
zeal  and  fervor.  But  on  one  occasion,  when  his 
subject  was  Immortality,  he  entered  at  once,  in  a 
most  eloquent  tone,  upon  his  favorite  theme.  It 
was  like  the  launching  of  a  noble  vessel  from  its 
ways.  His  spirit  kindled  with  the  first  sentence, 
and  was  borne  on  from  topic  to  topic,  each  a  fresh 
inspiration ;  and  one  felt  as  if  lifted  to  a  height  of 
transfiguration,  where  it  would  be  good  to  abide 
evermore.  I  think  his  readers  will  agree  that  one 
of  the  most  striking  of  his  discourses  is  that  on 
the  Future  Life.  No  human  production,  per- 
haps, has  given  clearer  views  than  this  of  the 
great  unseen  world  ;  none  privileged  to  hear  him 
on  this  high  topic  but  must  remember  the  thrill- 
ing tones  in  which  he  spoke  of  it. 

Channing  reasoned  cogently  on  this  subject ; 
His  sermon  on  Immortality  is  a  compact  argument. 
It  is,  as  was  said  of  another  production,  "  logic  on 
fire."  That  on  the  Future  Life  is  more  intuitional. 
We  seem,  as  we  read  it,  to  see  heaven  opened  be- 
fore us.  I  recollect  being  told  of  an  occasion 
when  Dr.  Channing  officiated  at  a  funeral,  and 
made  it  throughout  his  prayer  a  theme  of  thanks- 
giving that  the  pure  spirit  had  entered  its  heavenly 
home.  All  tears  seemed  to  be  dried  up  in  the 
bright  sunshine  of  the  everlasting  world.  His 
bosom  friend,  Dr.  Tuckerman,  who  was  present, 
congratulated  him  on  lifting  the  mourning  circle 
out  of  their  griefs  into  the  calm  and  joyous  certain- 


180  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ties  of  the  celestial  sphere.  Often  did  one  rise,  as 
he  heard  him  utter  the  word  Immortality  in 
the  pulpit,  into  the  same  serene  faith. 

The  impression  he  produced,  when  preaching, 
was  that  of  a  most  exalted  character.  I  can 
readily  believe  what  was  said  of  his  influence  at 
some  such  moments,  even  upon  children.  A  little 
girl,  meeting  him  at  her  home,  and  drawn  toward 
him  by  his  attractive  manner  in  private,  at  length 
touched  him,  and  said :  u  You  are  a  man  ;  I  see  you 
every  Sunday  in  God's  house,  and  1  thought  you 
was  God." 

Channing  was  a  patriot,  early  and  late,  constant 
in  his  love,  his  labors,  and  his  prayers  for  his  own 
land.  When  he  wrote,  "  I  wish  to  see  patriotism 
exalted  into  a  moral  principle,"  he  gave  the  key- 
note of  his  own  character,  no  less  than  the  refrain 
of  his  national  discourses.  His  Fast  sermon  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812  has  the  ring  of  his  maternal 
ancestor ;  and  those  wise  and  eloquent  papers  of 
his  in  the  "  Christian  Examiner,"  on  the  perils  of 
the  Union,  remind  us  strongly  of  the  tones  of  that 
venerated  man. 

Whatever  subject  Channing  takes  up,  if  his 
treatment  of  it  begin  with  our  own  country,  it  soon 
spreads  out  to  other  lands,  and  includes  the  entire 
race.  At  a  moment  when  England  and  America 
were  threatened  with  war,  he  gave  a  lecture  on 
that  curse  of  humanity,  and  said  in  the  preface  to 
it :  "  The  relations  between  these  countries  cannot 
become   hostile  without  deranging,   more  or  less, 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING.  181 

the  intercourse  of  all  other  communities,  and 
bringing  evils  on  the  whole  Christian  world." 

What  I  have  said  of  the  breadth  of  Channing's 
views  in  his  public  utterances  was  true  also  of  his 
private  conversation.  In  those  gatherings  of 
friends  and  acquaintances  when  topics  of  social  in- 
terest were  discussed,  however  wise  the  remarks  of 
others,  he  usually  had  a  wisdom  beyond  theirs. 
Men  of  large  thought  and  liberal  culture,  and  from 
various  callings  and  professions,  might  be  present 
and  say  excellent  things.  And  yet  you  knew  well, 
by  the  doubts  he  suggested,  the  limits  he  set  up,  his 
hard  questions,  his  sharp  criticisms,  and  bold  ob- 
jections, that  he  saw  depths  of  the  subject  below 
your  own  best  vision.  He  might  at  last  come  to  ac- 
quiesce in  your  opinion  ;  but  it  would  be  only  after 
a  delay,  and  after  a  firmness  of  opposition  which, 
gentle  and  kind  as  his  manner  always  was, 
promised  anything  but  a  final  assent  to  your 
view. 

Dr.  Channing,  instead  of  being  narrowed,  as 
many  of  us  are,  by  advancing  years,  was  less  and 
less  limited  in  his  views  and  feelings.  In  that 
noble  "  Discourse  on  the  Church,"  preached  the 
very  year  before  his  death,  we  see  how  he  spurns 
all  ecclesiastical  fetters  and  every  mere  denomi- 
national barrier.  The  same  year  he  writes  :  "  I 
speak  as  an  independent  Christian.  ...  I  can  en- 
dure no  sectarian  bonds."  Indeed  one  cannot  but 
think  that,  had  he  and  his  grandparent  Ellery  lived 
to  our  day,  both  would  rejoice  in  the  growing  indi- 


182  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

cations  of  harmony  and  fellowship  between  the 
various  liberal  portions  of  long-separated  Christian 
bodies. 

Such  men  as  Channing  do  not  grow  old  with  the 
lapse  of  years.  We  who  saw  him,  on  and  on,  from 
his  early  manhood  to  his  closing  days,  remember 
how  little  he  changed,  even  in  personal  appear- 
ance, with  the  approach  of  age.  It  seems  to  me, 
as  I  recall  him  in  his  meridian,  that  he  showed 
more  the  effects  of  toil  and  time,  and  his  face  was 
more  pallid  and  careworn,  than  in  the  last  years  of 
his  life.  At  that  time  his  countenance  grew  more 
radiant,  and  he  manifestly  felt  more  at  ease,  and 
enjoyed  this  world  as  he  never  had  before.  It  is 
interesting  to  read  his  own  language  on  this  sub- 
ject :  "  I  enjoy  fine  weather  as  I  did  not  in  my 
youth.  I  have  lost  one  ear,  but  was  never  so 
alive  to  sweet  sounds.  I  am  waking  up  more  to 
the  mysteries  of  harmony."  That  last  summer, 
and  when  nearly  sixty- three  years  old,  amid  the 
exquisite  beauties  of  Lenox,  he  writes  :  u  Here 
am  I  finding  life  a  sweet  cup  as  I  approach  what 
we  call  its  dregs." 

"  Always  young  for  liberty,"  he  said  of  himself 
on  one  occasion,  and  we  are  not  surprised  at  the 
glow  of  youthfulness  in  one  so  elastic  and  hopeful 
as  Dr.  Channing.  Gloom  had  no  resting-place  in 
his  nature.  With  his  views  of  the  all-embracing 
goodness  of  God,  how  could  he  droop  and  despond 
under  his  beneficent  Providence  ?  Looking,  as 
he    did,   upon   man   as  the    child  of   a  Heavenly 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING.  183 

Father,  and  the  whole  race  as  embosomed  in  his 
love,  the  future  was  to  him  full  of  cheering  antici- 
pations. I  might  quote  pages  from  the  writings  of 
his  hopeful  ancestor,  William  Ellery,  of  the  same 
bright  glow.  In  the  high  and  broad  development 
of  his  own  character,  and  his  conscious  connection 
with  the  entire  race,  he  could  not  but  see  tokens 
of  its  glorious  capabilities  and  progress. 

And  here  we  reach  the  ground  we  have  for  be- 
lieving that  the  works  of  Channing  are  to  have  a 
permanent  place  in  the  history  of  humanity. 
Their  free  spirit,  the  growth  largely  of  our  na- 
tional institutions,  makes  us  sure  that  their  circu- 
lation is  not  to  be  limited  to  his  own  country,  but 
will  extend  as  far  as  the  English  language  is 
spoken  and  written ;  and  help  forward  everywhere 
the  great  cause  of  national  liberty  and  independ- 
ence. Nor  will  they  stop  here.  Already  they 
have  been,  wholly  or  in  part,  translated  in  France, 
Germany,  Hungary,  Italy,  and  even  in  Iceland, 
into  their  several  languages.  Many  forces  will 
contribute  to  their  diffusion  and  perpetuity. 

Writings  which  cover  so  wide  a  range  of  topics 
are  suited  to  meet  the  wants  of  every  people  and 
every  age.  It  is  rare  to  find  in  so  large  a  field  so 
very  little  of  a  merely  local  or  temporary  interest. 
As  I  write,  I  can  see  the  effect  of  his  works  on  the 
great  International  Association  which  is  aiming 
to  establish  a  code  of  laws  binding  on  the  com- 
monwealth of  nations,  by  which  their  disputes 
shall  be  settled,  like  the  differences  of  individuals, 


184  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

not  by  the  sword,  but  by  arbitration.  Let  Chan- 
ning's  abhorrence  of  war  and  his  inculcations  of 
righteousness  and  peace  prevail,  and  then,  through 
his  and  other  Christian  and  pacific  influences,  the 
world  will  at  last  exhibit  —  what  he  yearned  and 
prayed  and  labored,  to  accomplish  —  universal 
peace. 

The  impression  Dr.  Channing  produced  person- 
ally seemed  to  me  not  so  much  that  of  genius  as 
of  rare  goodness.  The  corner-stone  of  his  charac- 
ter was,  I  think,  conscientiousness.  He  appeared 
not  alone  to  do,  but  to  think  and  feel,  only  what 
he  regarded  as  right.  With  all  his  power  and 
culture,  and  his  mental  superiority,  he  says,  as  he 
draws  near  the  close  of  his  life,  "I  am  less  and 
less  a  worshipper  of  mere  intellect."  The  moral 
and  spiritual  nature,  common  to  the  lofty  and 
the  lowly  alike,  and  its  largest  development,  he 
more  and  more  prized  as  the  true  end  of  man's 
existence. 

It  was  fitting  that  he  should  close  his  life  in  the 
way  he  did.  My  thoughts  had  often  reverted  to 
the  scene  where  he  passed  away,  and  a  few  years 
since  I  had  the  privilege  of  a  temporary  stay  in 
that  vicinity.  A  friend  gave  me,  while  at  Lenox, 
the  details  of  his  visit  at  that  place.  Amid  the  ex- 
quisite scenery  of  Berkshire,  and  the  refined,  genial 
society  he  met  there,  Dr.  Channing  passed,  as  he 
himself  said,  some  of  the  happiest  hours  of  his  life. 
In  a  building  which  we  daily  passed,  he  gave  his 
grand  address  on  the  anniversary  of  emancipation 


WILLIAM    ELLERY    CHANNING.  185 

in  the  British  West  Indies;  but  the  effort  of  de- 
livery overtasked  his  feeble  frame,  and  I  was  told 
that  after  it  he  was  but  just  able,  with  two  friends 
for  his  support,  to  walk  to  a  carriage.  I  went  to 
the  house  at  which  he  stopped,  and.  saw  the  very 
window  out  of  which  he  looked  at  the  sunset 
hours.  Unhappily,  beyond  question  from  imperfect 
drainage,  it  was  on  that  spot  he  contracted  the 
typhoid al  disease  which  terminated  his  life.  It 
seemed  sad  that  such  must  be  his  lot,  yet,  judged 
by  his  glorious  work,  he  had  lived  long ;  and  there- 
fore when,  on  that  eventful  October  day,  the 
tidings  came  that  "  the  golden  bowl  was  broken," 
while  we  shed  some  natural  tears,  we  gave  thanks 
to  Him  who  had  placed  such  power  within  that 
mortal  frame,  and  permitted  it  to  be  exercised  up 
to  what  is  termed  "  the  grand  climacteric  of  man's 
life."  We  rejoiced  that  he  had  met  the  last  call 
with  an  unfaltering  trust,  and  entered  those  ever- 
lasting gates  through  which  he  had  so  long  gazed, 
and  for  which  his  high  inspirations  had  trained 
many  a  grateful  spirit. 

In  this  age  of  commemorations,  when  in  all  civil- 
ized countries  monuments  are  erected  to  the  de- 
parted great,  I  think  this  man,  who  was  cosmopoli- 
tan in  spirit,  should  have  memorials  set  up  in 
other  lands  to  honor  his  name.  It  especially  be- 
comes this  nation  —  the  principles  of  whose  gov- 
ernment and  institutions  he  lived,  labored,  and 
died  to  support  —  to  build  at  its  Capitol  a  monu- 
ment that  will  do  something  to  perpetuate  the 
name  and  influence  of  William  Ellery  Channing. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

SOCIETY    OF   THE    CINCINNATI. 

This  association,  formed  by  officers  of  the  Revo- 
lution, for  patriotic  and  social  purposes,  and  to  be 
continued  through  their  posterity,  has  left  records 
most  valuable  as  materials  for  biographies  of  men 
associated  with  that  eventful  period.  It  brings 
before  us,  in  its  original  members,  a  band  of  men, 
taken  together,  of  rare  military  skill,  science,  and 
practical  ability,  and  of  high  personal  character. 
It  includes  not  only  American  officers,  but  those  of 
our  generous  allies,  France,  Prussia,  Germany,  with 
a  few  rare  men  of  other  nations  of  Europe,  who 
sent  us  many  commanders,  and  not  a  few  in  the 
ranks,  who  rendered  noble  service  in  their  labors, 
sacrifices,  and  sufferings  for  the  rights  of  the  Amer- 
ican Colonies,  and  the  final  emancipation  and  inde- 
pendence of  these  United  States. 

This  society  at  once  took  a  firm  hold  of  the  Am- 
erican people.  When  Lafayette  revisited  this  coun- 
try in  1824  he  was  received  with  enthusiasm  and 
affection  by  all  classes  of  the  people.  A  public 
dinner  was  given  him,  at  which  the  second  toast, 
after  "The  United  States,"  was,  "  General  Wash- 
ington."  This  was  coupled  with  "  The  Cincinnati," 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  187 

showing  that  this  body  stood  among  the  foremost 
in  the  love  and  honor  of  the  nation.  This  latter 
sentiment  was  appropriately  and  immediately  fol- 
lowed by,  "  The  asserters  and  supporters  of  the 
rights  of  mankind  throughout  the  world."  The 
Cincinnati,  thus  early  imbedded  in  the  memories 
and  grateful  recognitions  of  the  country,  should 
hold  its  just  place,  as  it  did  to  the  last  with  Wash- 
ington ;  and  its  name,  and  those  of  all  who  have 
stood  on  its  rolls,  should  remain  through  every 
generation  of  a  people  who  owe  so  large  a  debt  to 
the  services  of  its  members. 

It  adds  to  our  interest  in  this  society  to  know 
that  the  decoration  of  Cincinnatus,  worn  by  Wash- 
ington, was  presented,  in  1824,  to  Lafayette,  with 
a  request  that  it  be  afterward  given  to  his  second 
grandson,  Edmond  Lafayette.  This  decoration 
bears  the  date  "A.  D.  1783."  It  is  of  elegant 
materials  and  workmanship,  supported  by  a  sky- 
blue,  watered  silk  "  riband,"  edged  with  a  white 
piping,  in  token  of  the  alliance  between  France 
and  America,  and  held  together  by  a  gold  clasp. 
The  "  riband  "  used  by  Washington  is  half  worn 
out. 

Washington,  in  a  letter  to  the  Count  de  Rocham- 
beau,  dated  October  29,  1783,  speaks  thus  of  the 
formation  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati :  — 

Sir,  —  The  officers  of  the  American  army,  in  order  to 
perpetuate  that  mutual  friendship  which  they  contracted 
in  the  hour  of  common  danger  and  distress,  and  for 
other  purposes  which  are  mentioned   in  the  instrument 


188  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  the  association,  have  united  together  in  a  society  of 
friends  under  the  name  of  Cincinnati  ;  and  having  hon- 
ored me  with  the  office  of  president,  it  becomes  a  very 
agreeable  part  of  my  duty  to  inform  you  that  the  so- 
ciety have  done  themselves  the  honor  to  consider  you, 
and  the  generals  and  officers  of  the  army  which  you 
commanded  in  America,  as  members  of  the  Society.  .  . 
As  soon  as  the  diploma  is  made  out,  I  will  have  the 
honor  to  transmit  it  to  you. 

The  Society  was  at  once  placed  on  a  firm  founda- 
tion in  France.  The  order  met  the  approbation  of 
the  king,  and  a  list  of  members  was  prepared  com- 
prising thirty-three  officers.  The  whole  number  of 
the  Society  soon  put  on  record  was  seventy-nine. 

Lafayette  was  received  at  Boston,  on  his  visit  to 
this  country  in  1824,  by  the  members  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, his  brothers-in-arms,  who  extolled  him, 
not  only  as  the  ally  and  savior  of  America,  but 
as  one  who  had  "  secured  liberty  to  millions  of 
freemen."  At  Staten  Island  his  military  associates 
in  this  Society,  some  of  them  then  eighty  years 
old,  embraced  him  with  tears  of  joy.  Everywhere 
he  had  similar  cordial  greetings ;  and  their  spirit 
was  transmitted  to  sons  and  grandsons  of  this 
order,  at  the  recent  reception,  October  19,  1881, 
of  our  French  and  German  guests,  numbering  in 
all  twenty-seven  persons,  at  the  centennial  celebra- 
tion of  the  American  victory  at  Yorktown.  It  gave 
me  special  pleasure  to  meet  the  Marquis  de  Rocham- 
beau  and  his  associates  in  the  Massachusetts  Sen- 
ate Chamber  on  their  recent  visit  to  Boston,  and  to 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  189 

think  of  the  devoted  ancestors  civil  or  military  of 
those  men,  and  of  the  many  honors  which  their  strik- 
ing badges  showed  they  had  received  from  distin- 
guished societies,  both  in  France  and  Germany. 

At  the  head  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  we 
place  George  Washington.  For  his  pre-eminent 
rank,  in  both  military  and  civil  services  which  he 
rendered  to  his  country,  this  is  his  uncontested 
position. 

Elis  name  takes  us  back  to  the  meeting  of  the 
Continental  Congress  at  Carpenter's  Hall,  Phila- 
delphia, September,  1774  —  a  momentous  occasion. 
Gathered  from  all  the  States,  it  was  an  illustrious 
array  of  patriotic  men.  Conspicuous  among  them 
was  Samuel  Adams,  the  master-spirit  of  the  day. 
Beside  him  sat  his  younger  kinsman,  John  Adams, 
bold,  ingenious,  determined,  eloquent,  a  born 
leader  of  men.  But  look  yonder !  There  sits  a 
man  only  forty  years  old,  in  the  prime  of  his  en- 
ergies. Others  speak,  but  he  is  silent ;  and  yet  in 
his  marked  face,  and  especially  in  his  firm  mouth, 
there  is  an  air  of  power  and  command  that  makes 
him  a  noteworthy  man.  His  colleagues  turn  to- 
ward him  with  deference.  So  modest,  he  occupies 
a  back  seat,  and  yet  he  is  the  foremost  man  in  the 
confidence  of  the  assembly.  This  is  the  individual 
who  has  said  in  the  Virginia  Convention  :  "  I  will 
raise  a  thousand  men,  subsist  them  at  my  own  ex- 
pense, and  march  with  them  at  their  head  for  the 
relief  of  Boston."  This  can  be  no  other  than 
George  Washington. 


190  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

We  are  struck,  early  and  late  in  his  career,  by 
the  tenacity  of  his  friendships.  Not  in  his  public 
offices  and  relations  alone,  but  in  his  associa- 
tions of  a  comparatively  private  nature  with  his 
companions  in  arms,  and  those  in  every  subordi- 
nate civil  capacity,  it  is  most  interesting  to  observe 
the  depth  of  his  affections.  No  man  was  ever  sur- 
rounded by  truer  friends ;  and,  as  we  often  find  in 
such  cases,  none  had  rivals  so  jealous  and  so  deter- 
mined as  he.  What  with  Royalists,  —  or,  in  the  va- 
ried epithets  of  the  day,  Tories,  Loyalists,  Traitors, 
—  military  factions  and  political  divisions  and  asper- 
ities, no  man,  in  elevated  office,  ever  suffered  more 
than  Washington  from  the  injustice,  open  and  con- 
cealed, of  his  contemporaries.  This  was  true 
both  in  his  own  and  the  mother  country.  In  the 
present  universal  admiration  for  his  name  and 
character,  we  find  it  difficult  to  conceive  how  this 
bitter  spirit  could  have  been  exhibited  toward  one 
so  exalted  in  purity,  patriotism,  self-sacrifice,  and 
suffering  for  his  country. 

Among  the  traitors  to  our  cause  was  one  who 
appeared  soon  after  Washington  took  command 
of  the  army  at  Cambridge,  Dr.  Benjamin  Church. 
Up  to  this  time  he  had  stood  high  as  a  patriot  and 
a  friend  of  liberty.  He  was  still  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and  had  been  just 
appointed  Surgeon-General  and  Director  of  Hos- 
pitals. At  this  crisis  he  was  suspected  of  a  traitor- 
ous correspondence  with  the  enemy  in  Boston. 
After    thorough    examination    he    was    convicted, 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  191 

and  expelled  from  the  House  of  Representatives. 
Congress  afterward  resolved  "  that  he  be  closely 
confined  in  some  jail  in  Connecticut,  without  the 
use  of  pen,  ink,  or  paper ;  and  that  no  person 
be  allowed  to  converse  with  him  except  in  the 
presence  and  hearing  of  a  magistrate  or  a  sheriff 
of  the  county."  Previously  to  the  execution  of 
this  sentence  he  was  confined  in  the  former  resi- 
dence of  Colonel  Vassall,  opposite  the  house  oc- 
cupied by  Washington  in  Cambridge.  I  -recently 
visited  the  room  assigned  to  him,  where  the  subse- 
quent occupant,  Samuel  Batchelder,  Esq.,  who  has 
since  died,  1880,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
two  years,  politely  showed  me  this  room,  in  which 
I  saw  the  name  of  Dr.  Church,  cut  on  the  panel 
of  a  door  by  himself  while  imprisoned  there. 

At  a  distance  from  this  dwelling  is  the  house  in 
which  Burgoyne  was  confined  after  his  defeat  and 
capture  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  I  never  look 
on  the  house  occupied  by  Burgoyne,  in  Cambridge, 
without  contrasting  his  character,  associated  as  it 
is  with  that  dwelling,  and  the  character  of  Wash- 
ington, which  forever  permeates  the  atmosphere  of 
the  mansion  he  occupied  when  he  took  command 
of  the  American  army,  under  the  brave  old  elm 
that  bears  his  immortal  name.  The  same  contrast 
I  see  between  two  pictures  before  me,  as  I  write : 
one  that  of  Washington  seated,  with  his  majestic 
figure,  so  modest,  yet  so  grandly  impressive,  on  his 
favorite  horse,  as  he  receives  a  salute  on  the  field 
of  Trenton ;  the  other,  a  picture  in  an  open  book, 


192  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  Burgoyne,  the  impersonation  of  haughtiness,  — 
that  defiant  attitude,  those  disdainful  eyes,  the  lips, 
especially  the  under  one,  projected  in  scorn,  and  the 
chin  thrust  forward  to  supplement  its  effect.  How 
must  this  proud  being  have  fretted  himself  when 
he  thought  of  his  titles  and  rank,  and  his  preten- 
sions a  few  months  before,  and  saw  himself  now  a 
prisoner  at  the  mercy  of  those  detested  "  Yan- 
kees !  "  One  cannot  pass  that  memorable  building 
without  recalling  the  pompous  proclamation  issued 
by  Burgoyne  when  in  his  pride  and  power,  and 
contrasting  with  it  the  reply  of  Washington.  Bur- 
goyne had  threatened  the  Americans  with  all  the 
outrages  of  war,  enhanced  by  the  aid  of  savages  to 
be  let  loose  on  their  prey.  Washington,  after 
saying,  "  The  free  men  of  America  protest  against 
such  abuse  of  language  and  prostitution  of  senti- 
ment," adds,  speaking  of  the  British  domination, 
"  This  is  a  power  we  do  not  dread,"  and  finally 
closes  in  this  calm,  dignified,  and  devout  strain  : 
"  Harassed  as  we  are  by  unrelenting  persecution, 
obliged  by  every  tie  to  repel  violence  by  force, 
urged  by  self-preservation  to  exert  the  strength 
which  Providence  has  mven  us  to  defend  our  natu- 
ral  rights  against  the  aggressor,  we  appeal  to  the 
honesty  of  all  mankind  for  the  justice  of  our  cause  ; 
its  events  we  submit  to  Him  who  speaks  the  fate  of 
nations,  in  humble  confidence  that,  as  His  omnis- 
cient eye  taketh  note  even  of  the  sparrow  that  fall- 
eth  to  the  ground,  so  he  will  not  withdraw  his 
countenance  from  a  people  who  humbly  array  them- 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  193 

selves  under  his  banner  in  defence  of  the  noblest 
principles  with  which  He  hath  adorned  humanity." 

That  a  man  of  this  stamp  should  have  been  so 
grossly  misunderstood  or  misrepresented  almost 
passes  belief.  Yet  the  record  is  clear.  Not  con- 
fining ourselves  to  the  treason  of  Arnold,  the 
cabal  of  Conway,  the  defection  of  Lee,  and  the 
known  jealousies  of  military  rivals,  Gates  and 
others,  we  find  abundant  and  painful  evidence  of 
the  calumnies  spread  in  regard  to  Washington,  not 
only  in  public  journals  and  private  documents, 
but  among  the  daily  fireside  talks  and  gatherings 
of  obscure  individuals  and  the  scandal  of  evil 
tongues. 

We  have  only  to  take  up  some  of  the  journals 
of  the  day  to  learn  what  incredible  accounts  were 
circulated  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  our  affairs, 
as  viewed  in  the  mother  country.  Incidents  are  nar- 
rated in  the  British  newspapers,  published  during 
the  Revolution,  which  betray  an  astonishing  lack  of 
knowledge  in  respect  to  the  state  of  men  and 
things  in  this  country.  Making  all  due  allowance 
for  the  coloring  of  prejudice  and  passion,  what  are 
we  to  think  of  such  accounts  as  the  following, 
taken  indiscriminately  from  journals  and  letters  of 
that  period  ?  The  first  relates  to  two  of  the 
seven  marked  men  who  then  resided  on  Tory 
Row,  so  called,  in  Cambridge  :  a  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Oliver,  president  of  his  majesty's  council,  was 
attacked  at  Cambridge  by  a  mob  of  about  four 
thousand,  and  was  compelled  to  resign  his  seat  at 

13 


194  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  Board,  since  which,  upon  further  threats,  he 
has  been  obliged  to  lease  his  estate,  and  take 
refuge  with  his  family  in  Boston.  .  .  Colonel  Vassal 
of  Cambridge,  from  intolerable  threats  and  inso- 
lent treatment  by  mobs,  has  left  his  elegant  seat 
there  and  retired  to  Boston,  with  his  family,  for 
protection." 

The  Loyalists  in  Boston  are  represented  as  suf- 
fering still  worse  things.  In  language  not  espe- 
cially classic  or  Christian,  we  read  this  statement : 
"  The  fugitives  from  Boston  are  gone  for  Halifax ; 
the  people  say,  '  no  d — d  Tories  shall  be  allowed 
to  breathe  in  their  air,'  so  that  those  '  d — Is '  can't 
find  a  resting-place  there,  which  was  the  only 
place  on  the  continent  that  they  ever  dared  to 
hope  they  might  stay  in." 

It  is  known  that  our  commander  was  seldom 
alluded  to  by  his  military  title.  Even  Thomas 
Hutchinson,  American  born,  who  had  been  gov- 
ernor of  Massachusetts,  sneeringly  calls  him,  in  his 
contribution  to  history,  "  Mr.  Washington."  and 
the  following  would  make  it  appear  that,  viewed 
in  his  domestic  relations,  neither  he  nor  his  were 
entitled  to  very  great  respect:  "Mr.  Washington 
we  hear,  is  married  to  a  very  amiable  lady,  but  it 
is  said  that  Mrs.  Washington,  being  a  warm  Loyal- 
ist, has  separated  from  her  husband  since  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  troubles,  and  lives  very 
much  respected  in  the  city  of  New  York."  And 
this  when,  at  the  moment,  she  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  every  form  of  kindness  and  relief  to  his 
suffering  army. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  195 

The  tone  of  some  letters,  in  the  correspondence 
of  civil  and  military  officials  a  century  ago,  seems 
to  us,  accustomed  to  the  courtesies  of  such  docu- 
ments at  the  present  time,  incredible.  Not  long 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  Washington  wrote 
to  General  Gage  on  his  treatment  of  our  officers 
who  were  in  the  Boston  jail.  His  letter  was  in 
very  mild  terms,  carefully  avoiding  any  expres- 
sions that  might  be  regarded  as  indecorous.  The 
answer  was  in  an  entirely  different  strain ;  it  was 
directed  to  "  George  Washington,  Esq.,"  and  called 
our  people  Rebels,  Usurpers,  and  the  like,  affect- 
ing great  clemency  in  having  "  forborne  to  hang 
our  prisoners." 

But,  amid  all  this  misjudgment  and  maltreat- 
ment, Washington,  dishonored  by  British  offi- 
cials, and  slightly  esteemed  even  by  the  Loyalists 
of  his  own  country,  had  abundant  evidence  of  the 
almost  idolatrous  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by 
every  true  patriot  in  the  land.  How  touching  are 
such  tributes  as  this,  taken  from  the  old  Essex  Ga- 
zette, January  7,  1776.  "This  morning  the  sixth 
daughter  of  Captain  Bancroft  of  Dunstable,  Mas- 
sachusetts, was  baptized  by  the  name  of  Martha 
Dandridge,  the  maiden  name  of  his  Excellency, 
General  Washington's,  lady.  The  child  was  dressed 
in  buff  and  blue,  with  a  sprig  of  evergreen  on  its 
head,  emblematic  of  his  Excellency's  glory  and 
provincial  affection." 

And  not  by  personal  homage  alone,  but  by  the 
spirit  of  multitudes  of  both  sexes,  Washington  was 


196  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

cheered  and  sustained  in  many  a  trying  moment. 
Notice  the  devotedness  that  permeated  his  native 
State.  Says  the  Pennsylvania  Journal,  July  16, 
1777:—  " 

We  hear  that  the  young  ladies  of  Amelia  County  in 
Virginia,  considering  the  situation  of  their  county  in 
particular,  and  that  of  the  United  States  in  general,  have 
entered  into  a  resolution  not  to  permit  the  addresses  of 
any  person,  be  his  circumstances  or  situation  in  life  what 
they  will,  unless  he  has  served  in  the  American  armies 
long  enough  to  prove  by  his  valor  that  he  is  deserv- 
ing of  their  love. 

A  writer  in  the  British  army  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  London,  Decem- 
ber, 1781,  says  :  — 

The  assemblies  wThich  the  officers  have  opened,  in  hopes 
to  give  an  air  of  gayety  and  cheerfulness  to  themselves 
and  the  inhabitants,  are  but  dull  and  gloomy,  —  the  men 
play  at  cards,  indeed,  to  avoid  talking,  but  the  women 
are  seldom  or  never  to  be  persuaded  to  dance.  Even  in 
their  dresses  the  females  seem  to  bid  us  defiance ;  the 
gay  toys  which  are  imported  here  they  despise  ;  they 
wear  their  own  homespun  manufactures,  and  take  care 
to  have  in  their  breastknots,  and  even  on  their  shoes, 
something  from  the  flag  of  the  thirteen  stripes.  An 
officer  told  Lord  Cornwallis,  not  long  ago,  that  he  be- 
lieved if  we  had  destroyed  all  the  men  in  North  America, 
we  should  have  enough  to  do  to  conquer  the  women. 

History  shows  few  instances  in  either  sex  of  a 
heroism  equal  to  the  following.  In  1779  Congress 
passed  this  resolve,  honorable   to  them,  and   still 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  197 

more  so  to  the  heroine    this    body   thus   appreci- 
ated :  — 

Resolved,  That  Margaret  Corbine,  who  was  wounded 
and  disabled  at  the  attack  of  Fort  Washington,  while 
she  heroically  filled  the  post  of  her  husband  who  was 
killed  by  her  side,  serving  a  piece  of  artillery,  do  receive 
during  her  natural  life,  or  the  continuance  of  the  said 
disability,  one  half  of  the  monthly  pay  drawn  by  a  sol- 
dier in  the  service  of  these  States  ;  and  that  she  now 
receive,  out  of  the  public  stores,  one  complete  suit  of 
clothes,  or  the  value  thereof  in  money. 

The  confidence  of  those  who  knew  Washington 
best,  in  his  transcendent  abilities  and  final  success, 
is  most  touching.  Surgeon  Thacher  speaks  of  a 
visit  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  at  the  hospital  in 
his  charge,  and  his  deep  interest  in  the  sick  and 
wounded,  and  particular  inquiries  as  to  their  treat- 
ment and  comfortable  accommodations  :  — 

His  personal  appearance  is  that  of  the  perfect  gen- 
tleman and  accomplished  warrior.  He  is  remarkably 
tall,  —  full  six  feet,  —  erect  and  well  proportioned.  The 
serenity  of  his  countenance  and  majestic  gracefulness  of 
his  deportment  impart  a  strong  impression  of  that  dig- 
nity and  grandeur  which  are  his  peculiar  characteris- 
tics ;  and  no  one  can  stand  in  his  presence  without 
feeling  the  ascendancy  of  his  mind,  and  associating  with 
his  countenance  the  idea  of  wisdom,  philanthropy,  mag- 
nanimity, and  patriotism.  His  nose  is  straight,  and  his 
eyes  inclined  to  blue.  He  displays  a  native  gravity, 
but  devoid  of  all  appearance  of  ostentation.  No  man 
could  have  more  at  command  the  veneration  and  regard 


198  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  our  army,  even  after  de- 
feat and  misfortune.  This  is  the  illustrious  chief  a  kind 
Providence  has  decreed  as  the  instrument  to  conduct  our 
country  to  peace  and  independence. 

This  was  said,  we  are  to  recollect,  amid  the  last 
gloomy  days  of  October,  1778,  after  a  time  of  de- 
pression, and  on  the  eve  of  that  dreary  season  to 
be  spent  largely  under  canvas  tents,  and  amid  ex- 
posures to  cold  and  storms. 

Often  those  of  the  British  who  spoke  well  of 
Washington  personally,  regarded  his  army  and  the 
people  in  this  country  generally  as  too  wicked  to 
prosper.  So  good  a  man  in  the  main  as  young 
Anbury*,  an  English  letter- writer  in  America  at  the 
time,  says-:  "  As  to  redress  from  the  Americans, 
little  is  to  be  expected.  Though  their  Commander- 
in-Chief  possesses  a  humanity  that  reflects  the 
highest  honors  upon  him,  he  has  not  been  able, 
notwithstanding  so  much  love  and  esteem,  to  dif- 
fuse that  benevolence  and  godlike  virtue  among 
others."  He  speaks  of  the  many  "  horrid  barbar- 
ities and  persecutions  which  arise  in  consequence 
of  this  unnatural  war,  and  which  have  branded  the 
name  of  America  with  an  odium  that  no  time  can 
obliterate,  no  merit  expunge."  Speaking  of  Bur- 
goyne's  army,  then  prisoners  of  war,  he  says  :  "For 
ten  days  the  officers  subsisted  upon  salt  pork  and 
Indian  corn  made  into  cakes,"  and  adds,  "  they 
had  not  a  drop  of  any  kind  of  spirit.  .  .  .  Many 
officers  to  comfort  themselves,  put  red  pepper  into 
water  to  drink,  by  way  of  cordial." 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  199 

It  is  refreshing,  amid  the  misstatements  of  many 
British  accounts  during  the  war,  to  find  a  better 
element  occasionally  appearing  in  their  writers. 
An  officer  says,  speaking  of  Andre's  doom  as  a  spy  : 
"  General  Washington  shed  tears  when  the  rigor- 
ous sentence"  was  passed,  denying  Andre  the  priv- 
ilege of  a  soldier  and  sending  him  to  the  gallows, 
"  and  when  it  was  put  in  execution,"  "  he  would 
have  granted  his  request  to  die  a  military  death." 
But  the  writer  adds,  to  his  credit :  "  He  [Wash- 
ington] felt  certain  the  effect  would  be  disastrous ; 
and  the  board  of  general  officers,  at  the  same  time 
evincing  the  sincerest  grief,  could  not  deviate  from 
the  established  custom  in  such  cases.,, 

For  all  he  had  endured  from  evil  tongues  and  the 
treason  of  trusted  men,  downward  to  the  humblest 
of  his  disloyal  opponents,  he  received  afterward 
abundant  compensation.  We  can  imagine  no  re- 
ward for  his  military  toils  and  sufferings  greater 
than  that  he  must  have  seen  and  felt  at  the  mo- 
ment when  he  parted  from  his  companions  in  arms 
at  the  evacuation  by  the  British  in  New  York.  He 
said  to  them,  trembling  with  emotion  as  he  stood, 
"  I  cannot  come  to  each  of  you  to  take  leave,  but 
I  shall  be  obliged  if  each  of  you  will  come  and 
take  me  by  the  hand."  General  Knox,  his  bosom 
friend,  stepped  forward  and  received  the  first  em- 
brace. The  other  officers  silently  followed  in  suc- 
cession, and  every  one  was  in  tears.  What  a 
compensation  to  him  was  that  scene  in  which  Wash- 
ington read  the  touching     proclamation  of  peace 


200  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

to  the  army,  April  19,  1783,  precisely  eight 
years  from  the  day  of  the  first  blood  shedding  at 
Lexington. 

And  amid  all  the  anxiety  of  the  hour,  the  contrast 
with  much  of  the  past  must  have  cheered  his  heart 
in  a  subsequent  year  when  he  was  borne  by  accla- 
mation into  the  Presidential  chair.  What  rewards 
for  his  faithfulness,  toils,  and  sacrifices  on  the  field 
were  his,  as  he  passed  in  the  autumn  of  1789, 
during  his  first  year's  civil  service,  through  the 
towns  of  New  England  in  that  better  than  regal 
progress  !  See  him  in  an  open  carriage,  drawn  by 
four  white  horses,  his  private  secretary  near  him, 
riding  in  advance,  and  a  single  servant,  his  ever 
true  attendant.  A  volunteer  courier  who  precedes 
Washington  announcing  his  approach,  rides  bare- 
headed as  they  enter  some  town.  With  one  hand 
he  guides  his  careering  steed  ;  in  the  other  he  bears 
a  trumpet,  whose  blast  arouses  the  people,  followed 
by  his  shout,  "  Washington  is  coming  !  Washing- 
ton is  coming  !  "  The  parish  bell  is  rung ;  the 
schoolmaster  ejaculates  "  school 's  dismissed,"  and 
away  rush  the  delighted  children  to  see  the  hero 
and  his  train.  An  escort  of  horsemen  are  at  once 
in  line,  and  the  first  men  of  the  town  proceed  to 
welcome  the  idol  of  the  people.  Sometimes,  as 
when  he  visited  the  large  town  of  Haverhill,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Washington,  in  a  drab  surtout  and  wear- 
•ing  a  military  hat,  is  mounted  on  an  elegant  horse  ; 
his  tall,  erect  form  and  majestic  bearing  give  him 
an  air  of  unsurpassed  dignity,  as  he  moves  onward 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  201 

in  what  he  calls  "  the  pleasantest  village  I  have 
passed  through."  This  ride  is  made  immortal  by 
the  pen  of  Whittier  :  — 

And  he  stood  up  in  his  stirrups, 

Looking  up  and  looking  down 
On  the  hills  of  gold  and  silver, 

Rimming  round  the  little  town. 

And  he  said,  the  landscape  sweeping 

Slowly  with  his  ungloved  hand : 
"  I  have  seen  no  prospect  fairer 

In  this  goodly  eastern  land." 

Then  the  bugles  of  his  escort 

Stirred  to  life  the  cavalcade ; 
And  that  head,  so  bare  and  stately, 

Vanished  down  the  depths  of  shade. 

KNOX      FAMILY. 

Henry  Knox  deserves  a  prominent  place  in 
any  mention  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He 
was,  by  his  early  suggestion  of  it  and  his  earnest 
labors  for  its  organization,  essentially  its  founder. 
Born  July  25,  1750,  he  died  October  25,  1806. 
From  his  boyhood  he  took  an  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  country,  and  at  every  stage  of  his  life  was 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  dedicated  all 
his  powers  of  body  and  mind  to  its  advancement. 
He  was  fond  of  reading,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  opened  a  bookstore  opposite  Williams's 
Court  in  Cornhill,  Boston,  which  became  a  great 
resort  in  1771  for  the  British  officers  and  Tory 
ladies,  who  were  the  ton  of  that  period.  This 
store  was,  not  many  years  afterward,  while  Knox 


202  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

was  engaged  with  the  besieging  army,  robbed  and 
pillaged  ;  but  still  the  occupant,  with  characteris- 
tic honor,  paid  his  London  creditors,  before  his  de- 
cease, a  large  portion  of  his  dues  to  them.  He 
was  invited  to  join  the  royal  standard,  but  rejected 
promptly  the  proposal,  and  embarked,  heart  and 
hand,  in  the  Patriot  cause. 

ilugust  9,  1775,  we  find  him  at  Cambridge,  din- 
ing with  Washington.  He  soon  proposed  to  go  to 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  and,  with  the  approval  of  his 
General,  transported  from  that  place  some  fifty 
cannon,  and  stores  in  boats  and  sleds,  which  ren- 
dered great  service  in  the  siege  of  Boston.  The 
furious  cannonade  from  Knox's  batteries,  March 
4,  1776,  obliged  the  British  finally,  on  the  17th  of 
that  month,  to  evacuate  Boston.  His  eminent 
military  skill  at  Trenton,  Monmouth,  White  Plains, 
Yorktown,  and  elsewhere,  entitles  him  to  a  very 
hio-h  rank  among  those  who  achieved  our  inde- 
pendence. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  General  Knox  held 
important  civil  offices.  Made  Secretary  of  War 
by  Washington  in  1785,  he  was  in  his  cabinet  un- 
til he  resigned  in  1794.  He  was  a  commissioner  to 
settle  the  eastern  boundary  on  the  River  St.  Croix, 
a  member  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
in  1801,  and  June  2,  1804,  was  appointed  one  of 
the  Council  of  Governor  Strong,  by  whom  he  was 
consulted  on  many  important  questions.  His  liter- 
ary and  scientific  attainments  induced  Dartmouth 
College  in  1793  to  confer  upon  him  the  honorary 
decree  of  Master  of  Arts;  and  December  16,  1805, 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  203 

he  was  chosen  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences.  General  Knox  stood  proba- 
bly first,  although  Lafayette  was  very  near  him,  in 
the  esteem,  affection,  and  confidence  of  Washing- 
ton. Entering  the  army  in  his  youth  as  a  volun- 
teer, he  rose  by  the  force  of  his  character  and  by 
his  services  to  the  rank  of  major-general,  the  high- 
est position  below  that  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

Henry  Knox  Thatcher,  eldest  grandson  of 
General  Knox,  succeeded  him  in  the  society  of  the 
Cincinnati,  in  1843.  He  was  born  in  Thomaston, 
Maine,  May  26,  1806,  and  died  April  5,  1880.  I 
knew  him  personally,  as  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Historic  Genealogical  Society,  to  which  he 
presented,  with  very  interesting  remarks,  the  in- 
valuable collection  of  his  grandfather's  manuscript 
letters,  elegantly  bound  in  fifty-six  folio  volumes. 
He  entered  the  United  States  Navy,  March  4, 
1823,  as  a  midshipman,  and  was  commissioned 
lieutenant  in  1833.  He  was  made  commander  in 
September,  1856,  and  captain  in  1861 ;  commis- 
sioned commodore  in  1862,  and  during  the  late 
Civil  War  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Mobile, 
April  12,  1865.  He  was  promoted  to  rear-ad- 
miral in  1866.  He  was  retired  May  26,  1868,  and 
was  post-admiral  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire, 
until  1870.  In  that  year  he  became  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  in  1871 
was  chosen  president.  His  last  residence  was  at 
Winchester,    Massachusetts.     He    married    Susan 


204  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

C,  daughter  of  Dr.  Croswell,  of  Plymouth,  Massa- 
chusetts.    They  had  no  children. 

Baron  von  Steuben,  after  General  Knox, 
should  be  named  next  in  this  connection.  The 
first  general  meeting,  after  the  disbanding  of  the 
army,  to  consider  the  formation  of  the  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati,  took  place  at  the  City  Tavern,  in 
Philadelphia,  May,  1784.  The  Baron  called  the 
meeting  to  order.  Washington  took  the  chair  and 
was,  May  15,  unanimously  chosen  president,  Major- 
General  Gates  being  vice-president,  and  Major- 
General  Knox,  secretary. 

Frederick  William  Augustus  von  Steuben,  born 
in  Prussia,  November  15,  1730,  died  near  Utica, 
New  York,  November  28,  1794.  He  offered  his 
services  to  Washington,  December  1,  1777,  and  was 
directed  to  join  the  army  at  Valley  Forge  in  mid- 
winter, and  acted  an  important  part,  in  connection 
with  Lafayette,  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  in 
the  battle  of  Monmouth.  He  was  appointed  in- 
spector-general, with  the  rank  of  major-general, 
and  did  much  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
troops  in  our  army.  He  afterward  wrote  a  man- 
ual, which  was  of  great  value  to  the  discipline  of 
the  army,  and  contributed  very  largely  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Revolution,  lie  had  served  under 
Frederick  the  Great  of  Prussia,  and  was  one  of  his 
aides-de-camp.  With  all  his  distinction  he  is  re- 
ported, however,  as  quite  irascible,  and  not  very 
reverent.     Knowing  little  of  our  language,  in  a 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  205 

moment  of  excitement,  when  drilling  an  awkward 
squad,  he  exclaimed  to  a  subordinate,  "  Come  and 
swear  for  me  in  English  ;  these  fellows  will  not  do 
what  I  bid  them." 

His  generosity  in  furnishing  supplies,  equip- 
ments, and  comforts,  at  his  own  expense,  for  our 
soldiers — so  great  that  he  frequently  shared  his  last 
dollars  with  a  suffering  soldier — impoverished  him- 
self; yet  it  was  not  until  1790  that  Congress  re- 
lieved him  by  an  annuity  of  $  2,500.  See  his 
portrait !  Here  is  a  robust  and  athletic  frame, 
surmounted  by  a  head  firmly  fixed  on  the  body, 
and  a  face  expressive  of  a  rare  union  of  energy  of 
character  with  sweetness  and  kindliness.  We  are 
not  surprised  to  learn  that  he  had  a  great  gift  of 
conversation,  had  warm  personal  friends,  and  was 
very  popular  in  general  society.  He  was  a  man 
to  be  trusted ;  powTer  and  decision  were  written  in 
his  eye  and  on  his  lips ;  and  he  was  no  less  loved 
for  all  that  is  generous  and  attractive.  The  follow- 
ing letter,  brought  to  light  at  a  dinner  given  to 
our  German  guests  at  Washington,  October  22, 
1881,  six  of  whom  descended  from  the  Baron, 
being  the  very  last  written  before  the  author  of 
it  resigned  his  office  as  commander-in-chief  of 
the  American  Army,  is  an  eloquent  testimonial 
to  the  worth  of  its  subject :  — 

Annapolis,  Dec.  23,  1783. 
My    Deaf.   Baron,  —  Although  I  have   taken  fre- 
quent opportunities  in  public  and  private  of  acknowledg- 
ing your  great  zeal,  attention,  and  abilities  in  performing 


206  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

the  duties  of  your  office,  yet  I  wish  to  make  use  of  this 
last  moment  of  my  public  life  to  signify  in  the  strongest 
terms  my  entire  approbation  of  your  conduct,  arid  to 
express  my  sense  of  the  obligations  the  public  is  under 
to  you  for  your  faithful  and  meritorious  services.  I  beg 
you  will  be  convinced,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  should  rejoice 
if  it  could  ever  be  in  my  power  to  serve  you  more  essen- 
tially than  by  expressions  of  regard  and  affection,  but 
in  the  mean  time  I  am  persuaded  you  will  not  be  dis- 
pleased with  this  farewell  token  of  my  sincere  friendship 
and  esteem  for  you.  This  is  the  last  letter  which  I 
shall  write  while  I  continue  in  the  service  of  my  country. 
The  hour  of  my  resignation  is  fixed  at  12  o'clock  to- 
day, after  which  I  shall  become  a  private  citizen  on  the 
banks  of  the  Potomac,  where  I  shall  be  glad  to  embrace 
you,  and  to  testify  the  great  esteem  and  consideration 
with  which  I  am,  my  dear  Baron,  etc., 

George  Washington. 

The  place  won  and  retained  in  the  heart  of 
Washington  by  Baron  von  Steuben  will  be  his 
perpetual  commendation. 

John  Brooks  was  born  in  Medford,  Massachu- 
setts, and  baptized  May  31,  1752.  I  recollect  him 
well  when  he  was  governor  of  Massachusetts.  A 
classmate  of  mine,  his  nephew,  told  me  much  of 
his  systematic  habits  of  life, — and,  among  his  pecu- 
liarities, that  he  always  omitted  one  dinner  every 
week.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  commenced 
practice  as  a  physician  in  Reading;  and  in  1774 
he  married  a  celebrated  beauty,  Lucy  Smith.  On 
the  19th  of  April,  1775,  he  marched  at  the  head  of 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  207 

a   company  of  minute-men,  and  met  the  British 
near  Concord,  on  their  return. 

To  him,  as  to  many  others,  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton sounded  the  death-knell  of  all  hope  of  a 
reconciliation  between  this  and  the  mother  coun- 
try. That  spark  struck  fire  in  his  as  in  every 
true  American  bosom,  and  no  wonder  the  chroni- 
cles of  the  day  are  filled  with  accounts  of  the  peo- 
ple rising  "  as  one  man,  taking  their  firelocks,  and 
rushing  toward  the  opening  scene  of  blood." 
East,  west,  north,  and  south  we  read  of  companies 
formed  to  march  toward  that  spot,  and  our  history 
is  filled  with  the  names  of  one  and  another  re- 
ported as  "  present  at  the  battle  of  Lexington." 
Haffield  White  dies  at  Danvers,  and  the  fairest  line 
of  his  record  is  that  he  was  at  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington. Thomas  Nixon  dies  at  Framingham  in 
1800,  Samuel  Bowman  at  Lexington  in  1818,  Jos- 
eph Balcom  at  Temple  ton  in  1825,  two  men 
named  Jackson  at  Newton,  Thomas  Hunt  in  Cin- 
cinnati, —  time  would  fail  me  to  write  out  the  whole 
list.  This  one  event  of  their  lives  —  their  presence 
at  the  battle  of  Lexington  —  is  their  crowning 
glory ;  even  the  rumor  that  they  were  there  is 
sometimes  sufficient  for  their  fame.  Captain  John 
Brooks,  it  has  often  been  said,  was  in  this  battle  ; 
but  the  truth  was  he  did  not  reach  Lexington 
until  the  British  forces  were  on  their  return  from 
Concord,  when  his  men  posted  themselves,  as  did 
others,  behind  the  barns  and  fences,  and  fired 
thence  on  the  enemy. 


208  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

He  was,  June  16,  ordered  to  Cambridge,  but 
could  take  no  part  in  the  noble  work  of  the  17th 
at  Bunker  Hill.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  White 
Plains,  and  his  corps  received  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  Washington  for  its  brave  conduct.  A 
skilful  disciplinarian,  at  Valley  Forge  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Washington  to  aid  Baron  von  Steuben 
in  his  new  system  of  military  tactics.  He  was 
adjutant-general  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth. 
When  the  Newbury  letters  appeared,  suggesting 
an  insurrection,  Washington  rode  up  to  Brooks,  to 
learn  how  the  officers  stood  affected,  and  to  counsel 
them  against  the  treasonable  step.  "  Sir,"  replied 
Brooks,  "  I  have  anticipated  your  wishes,  and  my 
orders  are  given."  With  tears  in  his  eyes  Wash- 
ington took  him  by  the  hand  and  said :  "  Colonel 
Brooks,  this  is  just  what  I  expected  from  you." 

After  the  war  he  retired  in  poverty,  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was 
made  major-general  of  the  militia,  and  often 
elected  to  civil  offices.  From  1816  to  1823  he 
was  governor  of  Massachusetts.  After  declining 
a  re-election,  in  his  retirement  he  was  chosen 
to  preside  over  several  societies.  From  1783  to 
1785,  he  was  the  first  secretary  of  the  Cincin- 
nati of  Massachusetts,  gave  the  first  of  its  ora- 
tions, July  4,  1787,  and  was  its  president  from 
1810  to  his  death,  March  1,  1825,  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  General  Society  from  1811  to  1825. 
He  received  from  Harvard  College,  in  1781,  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.  M. ;  in  1810  that  of  M.  D. ; 
and  in  1817  that  of  LL.  D. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  209 

He  had,  I  recollect,  a  fine  portly  figure,  and  a 
Roman  countenance,  expressing  firmness  and  cour- 
age ;  his  bright  eye  and  his  mouth,  somewhat  com- 
pressed, showed  a  strong  character,  united  with  a 
pleasant  disposition.  He  had  a  soldierly  bearing, 
a  graceful  deportment ;  dignified,  and  of  the  Old 
School  in  manners,  his  whole  appearance  was  an  in- 
dex of  his  generous  and  noble  heart. 

Joseph  Fiske  was  born  in  Lexington,  Massa- 
chusetts, December  24, 1752.  He  died  September 
25,  1837.  Having  studied  medicine  and  begun 
its  practice,  he  was  led  by  his  patriotic  spirit  to  ac- 
cept the  commission  of  surgeon's  mate  in  Vose's 
Regiment,  in  1777.  He  was  made  surgeon,  April 
17,  1779,  and  served  in  the  army  seven  years.  He 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  in  1777, 
and  of  Cornwallis  in  1781.  He  was  frequently  at 
my  father's  house,  and  was  very  agreeable.  I 
drank  in  greedily  his  accounts,  given  to  my  grand- 
father, —  who  was  with  him  in  the  company  of 
Captain  Parker,  April  19,  1775,  —  of  his  own  ex- 
periences as  a  surgeon  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. It  was  a  time  when  all  shared  in  common 
privations.  General  Washington  would  sit  down 
with  his  highest  officers  to  a  small  piece  of  beef, 
with  a  few  potatoes  and  some  hard  bread.  The 
veteran  told  us  of  sitting  with  officers  at  a  plank 
table  in  the  camp,  where  a  single  dish  of  wood  or 
pewter  sufficed  for  a  mess ;  a  horn  spoon,  and  a 
horn  tumbler  were  passed  round,  and  the  knife  was 

14 


210  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

carried  in  the  pocket ;  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee  were 
unknown  luxuries,  and  if  perchance  a  ration  of 
rum  was  given  out  —  this  was  in  the  dead  of  win- 
ter —  the  question  would  be  raised,  "  Shall  we 
drink  it,  or  shall  we  put  it  in  our  shoes  to  keep 
our  feet  from  freezing  ?  " 

During  the  pursuit  of  Cornwallis  the  soldiers 
had  not  decent  clothing  ;  and  an  old  cloak  of  one 
of  the  generals,  they  having  not  a  blanket  left,  was 
nearly  the  whole  winter  shared  with  two  other  offi- 
cers. Dr.  Fiske  would  corroborate,  in  my  hearing, 
accounts  of  the  need  of  medicine  and  comforts  for 
the  wounded.  Wine,  spirits,  and  even  the  ordinary 
medicines  could  not  be  procured ;  and  after  search- 
ing miles  upon  miles  nothing  of  the  kind  could  be 
found  but  small  portions  of  snakeroot.  And  as 
for  bandages,  the  case  was  still  worse,  if  possible ; 
nothing  could  be  done  for  their  supply  but  to  cut 
up  a  tent  found  on  the  field. 

He  related  mirthful,  no  less  than  sad  reminiscen- 
ces of  the  war,  and  used  to  tell  anecdotes  of  this 
kind  of  one  Captain  Houdin.  This  French  officer 
lived  to  see  the  National  Government  established, 
and  asked  an  office  of  General  Knox,  then  Secre- 
tary of  War.  "  Captain,"  said  the  Secretary,  "  you 
have  abused  the  new  government,  and  how  can 
you  ask  office  under  it  ?  "  "  Oh,"  said  the  Captain, 
"  I  only  did  it  because  that  was  popular ;  I  did  n't 
mean  anything  by  it."  When  Washington  was 
told  this  anecdote  he  gave  a  hearty  laugh,  a  very 
rare  thing  for  him.  The  Captain  succeeded  at  last, 
it  seems,  in  getting  an  office. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  211 

Dr.  Fiske  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati,  and  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety. He  married,  July  31,  1794,  Elizabeth  Stone, 
born  November  13,  1770,  who  died  March  6,  1849, 
aged  78.  They  had  six  children,  of  whom  the  oldest 
son,  Joseph,  born  in  Lexington,  Massachusetts, 
February  9,  1797?  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
Cincinnati  Society  in  1839.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  He  died  in 
his  native  place,  May  4,  1860. 

Captain  Benjamin  Gould  was  born  in  Tops- 
field,  Massachusetts,  in  1751 ;  He  died  in  Newbury- 
port  in  1841,  at  the  age  of  ninety.  At  this  place 
I  met  and  conversed  with  him  in  1839.  His  mili- 
tary spirit  and  his  decided  patriotism  were  shown 
throughout  the  war.  He  was  an  ensign  in  Lit- 
tle's Regiment,  and  wounded  April  19,  1775.  He 
was  in  the  Continental  army,  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Bennington,  Stillwater,  and  Saratoga, 
and  served  under  Lafayette  in  Rhode  Island;  was 
at  West  Point  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  treason,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  detect  that  dark  crime. 
What  joy  it  must  have  given  this  veteran  of  four- 
score and  three  years  to  meet  the  nation's  guest 
on  his  visit  to  Newburyport  in  1825.  Here,  too, 
it  was  that  Daniel  Foster,  who  served  in  Lafay- 
ette's corps  of  light  infantry,  met,  on  that  occasion, 
sword  in  hand,  his  old  commander.  "  I  am  proud 
to  see  you,"  said  the  old  hero,  "  once  more  on 
American  soil."  Lafayette  embraced  him  and  re- 
plied, u  I  look  upon  you  as  one  of  my  own  family." 


212  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

The  son  of  the  Captain,  Benjamin  Ap thorp 
Gould,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Massachusetts,  June 
15,  1787,  and  died  October  24,  1859,  in  Boston. 
He  taught  the  Latin  School  in  that  city  with  emi- 
nent success,  and  became  afterward  a  distinguished 
merchant.  He  was  editor  of  the  first  American 
editions  of  Virgil,  Ovid,  and  Horace.  Personal 
intercourse  with  Mr.  Gould  impressed  me  with  his 
intelligence  and  courtesy.  He  graduated  at  Har- 
vard College  in  1814.  He  was  an  illustration  of 
the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education  and  high 
scholarship,  not  only  in  the  "  professions,"  but  in 
commercial  life.  His  broad  views  and  naturally 
correct  judgment  of  men  and  affairs  had  been  im- 
proved by  mental  culture.  This  impression  was 
strengthened  by  many  testimonials  from  one  who 
was  a  partner  in  business  with  him.  His  unchal- 
lenged integrity  equalled  and  adorned  his  high 
mental  qualities  and  attainments.  Having  known 
Captain  Gould,  the  father,  and  enjoyed  the  friend- 
ship of  his  daughter,  Miss  Hannah  F.  Gould,  —  a 
writer  of  distinction  for  her  graphic  and  original 
poetry,  especially  her  patriotic  ode  at  the  re-inter- 
ment of  the  martyred  soldiers  at  Lexington,  April 
19,  1835,  — it  is  a  pleasure  to  speak  of  them  with 
confidence. 

Benjamin  Apthorp,  the  grandson  of  Captain 
Gould,  was  born  in  Boston,  September  27,  1824. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in 
1864,  by  the  rule  adopted  by  the  General  Society 
in  May  1854.  His  intellectual  ability  has  been 
shown  in  many  positions. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  213 

Professor  Gould  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1844  ;  received  a  degree  from  Gottingen  in  1848  ; 
edited,  for  twelve  years,  the  "  Astronomical  Jour- 
nal ; "  was  on  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  from 
1852  to  1867,  when  I  knew  him  well;  organized 
the  Dudley  Observatory  in  Albany,  of  which  he 
was  director,  1856-59  ;  was  in  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission, Statistical  Department  of  the  Civil  War, 
and  published  the  "  Military  and  Anthropological 
Statistics  of  American  Soldiers."  He  worked  in 
the  Washington  Observatory  twelve  years,  and 
since  1873  has  been  director  of  the  National  Ar- 
gentine Observatory  in  Cordova.  He  was,  in  1868, 
president  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science,  and  is  a  member  of  various 
scientific  societies  and  academies  in  Europe. 

Edward  Strong  Moseley,  born  June  22,  1813, 
was  admitted,  in  May  1867,  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  the  Cincinnati,  under  the  rule  of  May  1854. 
His  family  have  shown  military  tastes,  and  have 
claims  connected  with  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Ebenezer,  grandfather  of  Edward  Strong  Moseley, 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1763  ;  was  a  mission- 
ary among  the  Western  Indians  several  years,  from 
1767  ;  and  in  April  1775,  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain in  Putnam's  Connecticut  Regiment,  which  he 
accompanied  to  Cambridge  ;  and  he  was  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  1777,  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts  authorized  him  to  raise  ten  hundred 
and  ninety-two   men  to  join  the   army  at  Provi- 


214  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

dence  under  General  Spencer,  and  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  captains.  He  was  colonel  of 
the  Connecticut  Regiment  of  militia  in  1789-91. 
During  the  latter  part  of  the  Revolution,  and  for 
some  subsequent  years,  he  was  representative  of 
Windham,  Connecticut.  He  died  March  20,  1825, 
aged  84  years.  His  son,  Hon.  Ebenezer  Moseley, 
born  November  21, 1781,  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  1802,  and  settled  in  Newburyport.  He  was  col- 
onel of  a  regiment  of  the  Massachusetts  Militia,  1813 
-14  ;  representative  and  senator  of  Massachusetts, 
and  master  in  chancery;  president  of  the  Essex 
County  Agricultural  Society  ;  and  filled  many  other 
positions  of  public  trust  and  honor.  His  son,  Ed- 
ward Strong,  was  a  successful  merchant  many  years 
in  the  East  India  trade,  is  president  of  the  Mechanics 
National  Bank  and  of  the  Institution  for  Savings  in 
Newburyport.  In  1870  he  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  A.  M.  from  Yale  College,  of  which,  from 
1829,  he  was  nearly  three  years  a  member. 

It  is  fitting  that  the  native  town  of  Mr.  Moseley 
should  be  represented  in  the  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati. We  are  astonished  and  pained  by  the  suf- 
ferings endured  by  our  soldiers  ;  but  we  seldom 
realize  what  must  have  been  the  sufferings  of  those 
who  saw  their  husbands  and  brothers,  on  all  sides, 
summoned  to  go  forth  and  encounter  dangers 
and  death  in  the  most  trying  forms.  I  happen 
to  know  a  striking  illustration  of  hardships  not 
unusual  in  other  towns  at  that  time.  The  town 
of    Newburyport  —  where   I   spent   nearly   eight 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  215 

years  among  the  descendants  of  those  who  endured 
privations  of  this  kind  —  was,  in  August  1777,  re- 
quired to  raise  for  the  Continental  Army  one  sixth 
of  all  her  men  capable  of  bearing  arms.  Added 
to  this,  those  who  remained  at  home  were  taxed  to 
the  highest  point,  and  obliged  to  deprive  them- 
selves of  not  a  few  of  the  comforts  and  sometimes  of 
what  we  should  think  the  necessaries  of  life.  "  The 
whole  town,"  says  her  historian,  "  was  so  early 
turned  into  a  military  camp,  and  the  troops  kept 
in  such  a  state  of  preparation,  that  when  on  the 
day  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  the  news  of  it  was 
brought  to  town,  before  eleven  o'clock  that  night 
reinforcements  from  Newburyport  were  on  their 
way  to  join  their  brothers  in  the  bloody  struggle." 
The  public  spirit  of  Newburyport  was  shown  in 
another  form,  when  Washington,  in  the  autumn 
of  1789,  on  his  tour  through  the  North,  visited 
that  town.  He  was  received  with  great  enthusi- 
asm ;  a  committee  met  him  at  Ipswich ;  two 
companies  of  cavalry  escorted  him  to  the 
town;  a  procession,  including  all  classes  of  peo- 
ple —  the  largest  body  that  of  the  school-chil- 
dren—  greeted  his  entrance.  There  were  four 
hundred  and  twenty  scholars,  each  with  a  quill  in 
hand,  headed  by  their  teachers,  the  motto  on  their 
banner :  "  We  are  the  freeborn  subjects  of  the 
United  States."  An  elegantly  dressed  vessel  in  the 
harbor,  from  Tenerifxe,  fired  the  salute  of  her  nation, 
twenty-one  guns.  This  was  gracefully  noticed  by 
Washington,  of  which  the  " Essex  Journal"  of  Nov- 


216  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ember  4, 1789  says :  "  We  cannot  but  admire,  among 
the  admirable  traits  in  the  President's  character, 
that  of  his  politeness  to  foreigners."  As  the  pro- 
cession moved  on,  the  drums  beat  and  a  salute  was 
fired ;  afterward  a  meeting  was  held  at  which  an 
ode  was  sung,  and  an  address  delivered  by  John 
Quincy  Adams,  then  a  law  student  with  Chief  Jus- 
tice Parsons  in  Newburyport,  and  destined  himself 
to  be  one  of  Washington's  successors.  In  the  even- 
ing, guns  were  fired ;  a  display  of  fireworks  took 
place,  and  every  demonstration  of  joy  was  mani- 
fested. An  aged  lady,  one  of  my  parishioners,  told 
me  she  was  among  the  school-children  on  that 
day,  and  Washington  gave  her  a  kiss. 

Timothy  Pickering  was  born  in  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts, July  17,  1745,  and  died  there  January  29, 
1829,  aged  84  years.  He  was  an  original  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He 
joined  Washington  in  New  Jersey  with  his  regi- 
ment in  1776;  was  made  adjutant-general  of  the 
army  in  May,  1777 ;  a  member  of  the  Board  of  War 
in  November,  and  quartermaster-general  August 
5, 1780.  He  was  postmaster-general  of  the  United 
States,  November  7,  1791 -January  2,  1795;  sec- 
retary of  war,  January  10,  1795 -December  10, 
same  year;  secretary  of  state,  December  10,  1795 
-May  12,  1800  ;  United  States  Senator,  1803-11  ; 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  War,  1812- 
15;  and  member  of  Congress  1815-17.  Active  in 
the  cause  of  education,  he  was  an  able  writer,  a 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  217 

brave  and  patriotic  soldier,  and,  as  a  public  officer, 
energetic  and  disinterested.  Of  the  Old  School  of 
manners,  he  was  highly  gifted  in  conversation. 

John  Pickering,  son  of  Timothy  Pickering, 
born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  February  17,  1777, 
died  May  5,  1846.  He  was  admitted  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  1843. 
He  had  a  large  practice  as  a  lawyer,  and  still,  by 
his  rare  industry,  became  one  of  the  first  scholars 
in  the  country.  He  was  chosen  professor  of 
Hebrew  in  Harvard  College  in  1806,  and  invited  to 
the  chair  of  Greek  literature ;  he  was  president  of 
the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and 
of  the  Oriental  Society  of  Boston.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  many  scientific  and  literary  bodies  in  Eu- 
rope. Familiar  with  twenty-two  languages,  he 
wrote  several  treatises  upon  philology,  and  pro- 
duced a  Greek  and  English  Lexicon,  on  which  he 
was  engaged  1814-26.  He  was  also  a  very  able 
lecturer.  In  the  winter  of  1829-30  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  from  him  an  able  lecture,  in 
Boston,  before  the  Young  Men's  Association,  and 
was  impressed  by  his  massive  brow  and  scholarly 
appearance. 

John  Pickering,  eldest  son  of  the  former,  born 
November  8,  1808,  succeeded  him  in  1867  in  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He  was  for  many  years 
a  successful  stock-broker  in  Boston,  and  resided  in 
the  old  family  house  at  Salem,  built  in  1651.     A 


218  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

pleasant  personal  aquaintance  with  him,  and  the 
privilege  of  having  heard  learned  words  from  his 
distinguished  father,  and  known,  as  a  neighbor,  his 
brother,  Octavius  Pickering,  eminent  as  a  reporter 
in  the  Massachusetts  Supreme  Court,  and  occupied, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  on  the  Life  and  Writings 
of  his  father,  Timothy  Pickering,  have  given  me 
special  satisfaction  in  paying  this  tribute  to  their 
honored  family.  Mr.  John  Pickering  died  in  Salem, 
January  20,  1882.  His  son  John,  born  May  24, 
1857,  was  admitted  to  the  Society,  July  4,  1882. 

Louis  Baury  (de  Bellerive),  born  in  St.  Do- 
mingo, September  16,  1753,  died  in  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  September  20,  1807.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  1789.  He 
was  educated  at  the  same  school  as  Napoleon,  in 
Brienne,  France,  and  became  a  planter  at  St.  Do- 
mingo. He  took  part  at  the  siege  of  Savannah, 
as  captain  in  a  volunteer  corps,  and  remained  in 
the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1787  he 
was  aide-de-camp  to  General  Lincoln  in  suppressing 
the  Shays  Rebellion.  He  was  of  a  military  family, 
his  father  having  been  a  captain  of  cavalry,  and 
his  eldest  son,  Francis,  was  killed  at  the  age  of  17, 
while  acting  as  aide  to  General  Rochambeau  at  St. 
Domingo  in  March,  1802.  Frederic,  son  of  Louis 
Baury,  succeeded  him  in  the  Society  of  the  Cincin- 
nati in  1813  ;  was  a  midshipman  at  17,  in  1809  ; 
served  in  the  ship  "  Constitution  "  at  the  capture 
of  the  "  Guerriere  "  and  the  "  Java ; "  was  on  the 


SOCIETY    OF   THE    CINCINNATI.  219 

"  Wasp  "  when  she  captured  the  "  Reindeer,"  in 
1814,  and  at  the  time  she  was  lost  in  September 
of  that  year. 

Alfeed  Louis  Baury,  D.D.,  born  September  14, 
1794,  succeeded  his  brother  in  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati  in  1823.  Although  occupied  in  business 
for  a  time,  he  left  it  in  early  life,  and  after  the  study 
of  theology,  was  admitted  to  Deacon's  Orders,  Sep- 
tember, 1820.  In  July  1822  he  was  chosen  rector  of 
St.  Mary's,  Newton  Lower  Falls,  Massachusetts.  1 
often  had  the  pleasure  —  while  teaching  school  a 
winter  during  my  college  life,  not  far  from  his 
church  —  of  hearing  some  of  his  able  sermons,  de- 
livered with  uncommon  dignity  and  force.  His 
reading  of  the  service  was  very  impressive.  In  per- 
sonal appearance  he  was  marked  by  much  of  that 
combination  of  dignitv  with  sweetness  which  we  see 
in  the  portrait  of  his  father,  although  the  mouth  is 
more  compressed  and  his  gravity  more  observable. 
There  is  much  in  his  figure  and  face  that  reminds 
me  of  those  of  the  English  preacher,  Robertson. 
Both  had  a  union  of  military  decision  with  benevo- 
lence and  spirituality.  Dr.  Baury  wrote  a  clear, 
firm,  and  upright  hand.  It  corresponded  with  his 
personal  air  and  bearing.  He  was  tall,  erect,  and 
graceful,  with  fine  classical  features.  When  I  first 
saw  him  he  was  yet  young  ;  but  throughout  his  life, 
he  is  said  to  have  been  a  most  agreeable  compan- 
ion, honored  for  his  professional  ability,  and  loved 
by  all  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  his  society  and 


220  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

knew  his  high  moral  worth.  He  was  chosen  vice- 
president  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, July  4,  1857,  and  president  in  1865.  He 
died  in  Boston,  December  26,  1865. 

John  Hastings  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, March  23,  1754;  and  died  there  Febru- 
ary 16,  1839.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1772,  entered  the  army  in  1775;  was  commis- 
sioned captain  in  Jackson's  Regiment,  May  25, 
1777,  and  in  Brooks's  Regiment  in  1783.  He 
was  the  son  of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Cotton) 
Hastings.  He  married,  December  7,  1783,  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Lydia  (Trowbridge)  Dana, 
the  parents  of  Chief-Justice  Francis  Dana.  She 
died  in  Woburn,  May  8,  1808.  They  had  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  only  son  was  Edmund  Trow- 
bridge. John  Hastings  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
five.  I  knew  him  for  some  six  years  of  the  last  of 
his  life,  and  at  the  remarkable  age  of  eighty-two, 
he  had,  I  recollect,  the  whooping  cough.  He  was 
a  brave  man,  and  testified  his  patriotism  by  serving 
through  nearly  the  whole  Revolutionary  War. 

Edmund  Trowbridge  Hastings,  the  only  son  of 
John,  succeeded  him  in  the  Society  of  the  Cincin- 
nati in  1839.  He  was  born  in  Woburn,  Massachu- 
setts, May  15,  1789 ;  and  died  in  Medford,  Massa- 
chusetts, May  13,  1861.  His  wife  Elizabeth  died 
November  30,  1880,  aged  85  years.  1  was  once  a 
member  of  his  family,  and  knew  well  his  high  moral 


SOCIETY    OF   THE    CINCINNATI.  221 

excellence,  the  integrity  which  marked  him  as  a 
merchant,  and  the  kind  traits  of  himself  and  family. 
He  had  two  sons,  Edmund  Trowbridge  and  John 
Walter,  born  November  27,  1819,  who  married 
Sarah  E.  Gannett,  September  4,  1850,  and  one 
daughter,  Harriet  Elizabeth,  born  August  3,  1818, 
who  married,  October  5,  1841,  John  Bryant  Hatch. 

Edmund  Trowbridge  Hastings,  eldest  son  of 
Edmund  T.  Hastings,  whom  he  succeeded  in  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  1863,  was  born  in  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  March  3,  1816.  He  resides 
in  Medford,  Massachusetts,  on  his  father's  estate, 
unmarried. 

Africa  Hamlin  was  born  in  Pembroke,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1756,  and  died  in  Waterford,  Maine,  in 
1808.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He  entered  the  army  in 
the  humble  capacity  of  a  waiter  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Revolutionary  War;  was  commissioned  ensign, 
January  1,  1781,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  1788  he  removed  to  Waterford,  Maine,  then  a 
wilderness.  He  spent  his  winters  in  teaching  school, 
and,  having  unusual  abilities,  held  many  responsible 
offices  in  the  town.  On  one  occasion  he  showed 
his  versatility  and  readiness,  when  —  the  Fourth-of- 
July  orator  foiling  to  appear — at  the  request  of  his 
townsmen  he  took  his  place,  and  gave  great  satis- 
faction by  his  address. 

His  father  had  a  large  family  and  named  four  of 


222  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

his  sons,  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America.  An- 
other of  his  sons,  Dr.  Cyrus  Hamlin,  was  the  father 
of  Vice-President  Hannibal  Hamlin.  Africa  Ham- 
lin married,  in  1785,  Susanna  Stone  of  Groton, 
Massachusetts.  They  had  six  children,  all  daugh- 
ters. Asia  Hamlin  lived  many  years  in  Westford, 
Massachusetts.  I  boarded  in  his  family  while  fit- 
ting for  college  in  the  academy  of  that  town. 
Mr.  Hamlin  was  a  man  strong  in  body  and  mind, 
social,  facetious,  and,  as  might  be  expected  of  one 
born  and  trained  as  he  was,  he  used  very  plain 
speech.  He  was  somewhat  eccentric,  although,  like 
his  excellent  companion,  a  lady  of  culture,  he  was 
kindhearted  and  friendly  to  us  boys.  He  lived,  I 
think,  to  nearly  the  age  of  ninety. 

Job  Sumner,  an  original  member  of  the  society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  was  born  in  Milton,  Massachu- 
setts, April  23, 1754.  He  entered  college  in  1774  ; 
but  when  the  students  were  dispersed  after  the 
battle  of  Lexington,  he  immediately  joined  the 
army,  and  continued  in  it  until  its  final  disband- 
ment  in  1784.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  Moses  Dra- 
per's Company,  of  Gardner's  Eegiment,  at  Bunker 
Hill;  in  Bond's  Twenty-fifth  Regiment  at  the  siege 
of  Boston  and  in  the  invasion  of  Canada ;  commis- 
sioned captain  in  Greaton's  Third  Regiment,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1777,  and  made  major  in  1783.  He  had 
"  the  reputation  of  an  attentive  and  intelligent  offi- 
cer," and  was  commissioned,  after  the  war,  to  settle 
the  accounts  of  the  United  States  with  Georgia. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  223 

He  died  of  poison  in  New  York  City,  September  16. 

1789. 


Charles  Pinckney  Sumner,  only  son  of  Major 
Job,  succeeded  him  in  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati, 
in  1803.  He  was  born  in  Milton,  January  20, 1776, 
and  died  in  Boston,  April  24,  1839.  He  graduated 
at  Harvard  College  in  1796,  studied  law,  was  sev- 
eral years  clerk  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, and  was  sheriff  of  Suffolk  County  from 
1825  until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  literary  cul- 
ture, and  delivered  several  orations,  addresses,  and 
poems  on  public  occasions.  I  recollect  him  well 
through  many  years,  and  observed  his  uniformly 
courteous  and  gentlemanly  deportment. 

Charles  Sumner,  the  eldest  son  of  Charles  P. 
Sumner,  succeeded  him  in  the  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati in  ]  840.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  January 
6,  1811,  and  died  March  11,  1874;  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1830,  and  at  the  Dane  Law 
School  in  1834.  He  was  a  great  favorite  of  Judge 
Story,  who  was  then  professor  in  the  Law  School. 
I  recollect  him  well,  his  fine  figure  and  marked 
face,  at  that  early  age.  I  heard  his  oration  on 
"  The  True  Grandeur  of  Nations,"  beside  other 
addresses.  Becoming  afterward  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him,  I  enjoyed  highly  his  remarkable 
conversational  powers.  His  extraordinary  reading, 
memory,  and  general  culture,  his  graceful  manner 
and  rare  eloquence,  from  the  beginning  of  his  career, 


224  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

impressed  me  deeply.  He  was  a  strict  censor  of 
himself,  and  said  once  to  me  that  he  feared  he 
was  falling  into  a  "  beat "  in  his  style  of  speaking. 
I  watched  earnestly  the  long  struggle  in  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature,  in  the  session  of  1851, 
over  his  candidacy  for  the  United  States  senator- 
ship.  He  was  anxious,  at  one  time,  to  withdraw 
from  the  arena,  but  his  friends  urged  him  to  let  his 
name  still  be  used  in  the  balloting.  When,  after 
many  ballots,  April  24,  1851,  he  was  declared 
elected,  the  excitement  was  intense.  I  was  among 
the  first  to  reach  his  house  on  Hancock  Street,  to 
congratulate  him  on  the  result.  He  seemed  quite 
sober,  and  said:  "It  is  a  very  responsible  posi- 
tion. I  am  by  no  means  sure  this  result  is  best, 
either  for  the  country  or  for  me."  His  course  in 
the  United  States  Senate  enhanced  the  admiration 
of  antislavery  men.  A  thrill  of  horror  filled  our 
hearts  when,  after  the  delivery  of  his  great  speech, 
"  The  Crime  against  Kansas,"  May  19-20,  1856, 
he  was  brutally  assaulted  in  his  seat  by  Preston 
S.  Brooks,  a  representative  in  Congress  from  South 
Carolina.  After  being  disabled  for  about  three 
years,  on  resuming  his  seat  in  the  Senate  he  made, 
June  4,  1860,  his  famous  speech  on  "The  Barba- 
rism of  Slavery."  He  was  among  the  first  to  pro- 
pose emancipation  as  the  best  means  of  ending  the 
Rebellion  ;  and  he  afterward  originated  and  aided 
the  enactment  of  those  Constitutional  Amend- 
ments by  which  the  Freedmen  obtained  political 
rights.     In    1862    I    visited    him  at  Washington, 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  225 

when  he  seemed  to  have  recovered  much  of  his 
original  health  and  spirits.  Amid  his  grave  and 
earnest  labors  he  had  moments  of  wit  and  humor. 
He  read  one  day,  out  of  a  mass  of  daily  newspa- 
pers, an  amusing  anecdote  of  a  French  milk- 
woman,  who  one  day  left  her  milkcan  with  only 
water  in  it.  "  Oh,"  said  she,  when  rebuked  for 
it,  "  I  forgot  to  put  the  milk  to  it." 

His  decided  course  against  slavery  made  him 
many  political  enemies ;  but  since  his  death,  March 
11,  1874,  he  has  stood  —  and  in  the  ordeal  of  the 
future  will  more  confessedly  stand  —  on  the  summit 
of  national  honor,  as  a  scholar  and  statesman,  dis- 
tinguished in  history  for  his  legal  and  civil  attain- 
ments, his  eloquent  writings  and  speech,  his 
devotedness  to  the  cause  of  human  freedom,  the 
purity  of  his  principles,  and  his  incorruptible 
integrity. 

William  Eustis,  an  original  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  was  born  at  Cambridge, 
June  10,  1753 ;  was  in  the  Boston  Latin  School  in 
1761;  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1772; 
studied  medicine  under  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  and, 
on  the  day  of  the  Lexington  battle,  was  at  the 
scene  of  action,  and  aided  in  dressing  the  wounds 
of  the  soldiers.  He  was  commissioned  surgeon  of 
Gridley's  Artillery  Regiment,  April  19,  1775,  and, 
January  1,  1777,  was  commissioned  surgeon  and 
physician  at  the  hospital  opposite  West  Point. 
He  remained  on  the  medical  staff  until  the  close  of 

15 


226  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

the  war.  He  was  a  volunteer  surgeon  in  the 
Shays  Rebellion ;  a  member  of  the  General  Court, 
from  1788,  for  six  or  seven  years;  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1800-05,  and  again  in  182 1-2 3  ;  was 
appointed  by  President  Madison,  secretary  of  war 
in  1809,  and  resigned  in  1812.  He  was  minister 
to  Holland,  1815-18,  and  was  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts, 1823-25,  dying  in  Boston  while  in  office, 
February  6,  1825,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  He 
was  vice-president  of  the  Cincinnati  Society, 
1786-1810,  and  again  in  1820.  He  delivered  the 
annual  oration  before  that  Society,  July  4, 1791. 
He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  LL.  D.  from 
Harvard  University  in  1823,  and  received  honors 
from  other  colleges.  He  was  a  member,  and  for 
some  time  a  counsellor,  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society. 

While  in  the  army  he  was  humane,  faithful,  and 
indefatigable  in  his  office.  His  urbane  manner 
and  social  feelings  made  him  everywhere  a  popu- 
lar companion.  His  house —  the  Governor  Shirley 
mansion  in  Roxbury —  was  a  hospitable  and  pleas- 
ant resort  to  friends  and  strangers.  His  father. 
Benjamin  Eustis,  married  in  Cambridge,  May  11. 
1749,  Elizabeth  Hill,  who  died  May  30,  1775.  I  find 
on  a  roll  of  Captain  Parker's  Company  of  men 
who  wTere  called  to  Cambridge,  June  17,  18,  1775. 
the  name  of  William  Eustis.  Governor  Eustis  was 
then  twenty- two  years  old.  At  a  celebration  of 
July  4,  1814,  at  Lexington,  among  the  guests  was 
Hon.  William  Eustis.     It  is  certain  that,  although 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  227 

not  born  there,  he  felt  a  strong  interest  in  Lex- 
ington. In  the  old  cemetery  of  that  place  — 
where  according  to  his  wish  he  was  buried  by 
his  mother's  side,  is  a  handsome  monument  over 
the  remains  of  Governor  Eustis  and  his  wife, 
who  was  Caroline,  daughter  of  Hon.  Woodbury 
Langdon  of  New  Hampshire,  and  survived  him 
many  years. 

1  recollect  well  the  form  and  face  of  Governor 
Eustis,  whom  I  saw  frequently  while  he  was  in 
office.  He  was  quite  tall  and  graceful,  —  his  eyes  a 
dark  blue,  and  his  complexion  florid.  Like  very 
many  of  the  Revolutionary  officers  he  returned 
from  the  war  poor.  He  once  said  :  "  With  but 
a  single  coat,  four  shirts,  and  one  pair  of  woollen 
stockings,  in  the  hard  winter  of  1780,  I  was  one 
of  the  happiest  men  on  earth." 

Isaac  Parker  succeeded  his  brother  Elias  — 
who  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  served 
through  the  war  —  in  the  Society  of  the  Cincin- 
nati in  1830.  He  was  Royal  Professor  of  Law  in 
Harvard  University  while  I  was  in  college,  and 
his  lectures  excited  great  interest  in  my  class.  He 
was  pleasant,  and  sometimes  facetious,  in  his  inter- 
course with  us.  I  recollect,  on  one  occasion,  when, 
having  driven  out  of  Boston,  he  came  to  the  door 
of  Harvard  Hall,  where  he  gave  his  lectures.  We 
students  had  gathered  around  the  door,  and,  not 
withdrawing,  as  was  proper  at  his  approach,  and 
he  being  a  stout   man  requiring  wide   space,  he 


228  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

said  jocosely  to  us,  "  Open  to  the  right  and  left ; " 
and  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  wielded  his 
whip  to  part  us. 

Isaac  Parker  was  born  in  Boston,  June  17,  1768, 
and  was  the  eighth  son  of  Daniel  and  Margaret 
( Jarvis)  Parker.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College 
in  1786  ;  studied  law  with  Judge  Tudor  ;  settled  as 
a  lawyer  in  Portland  in  1801,  and  in  Boston  in 
1806  ;  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  Maine 
District  of  Massachusetts,  1797-99  ;  president  of 
the  Massachusetts  Constitutional  Convention  in 
1820;  professor  of  law,  in  Harvard  University, 
1816-27 ;  associate  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Massachusetts,  1806-14,  and  chief-justice  from 
1814  until  his  death,  July  26,  1830.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  the  Bible  Society,  and  many  others,  and 
always  active  in  his  place.  He  received  the  degree 
of  LL.  D.  from  Harvard  College  in  1814.  "For 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  one  of 
the  most  influential  men  in  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts.  This  influence  was  noiseless  and 
constant;  it  was  found  in  the  temples  of  justice 
and  the  halls  of  legislation,  in  the  seminaries  of 
learning,  at  the  ballot-box,  on  change,  in  the  social 
circle,  —  everywhere.  He  had  genius  without  ec- 
centricity, and  learning  without  pedantry.  In  him 
firmness  wTas  united  to  flexibility,  and  delicacy 
with  decision." 

John  Popkin  was  of  a  Welsh  family;   born  in 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  229 

Boston  in  1743,  and  died  in  Maiden,  Massachu- 
setts, May  8,  1827.  Before  the  Revolutionary 
War  he  was  a  member  of  Paddock's  Artillery 
Company.  In  the  army  he  was  a  captain  of  artil- 
lery in  Gridley's  Regiment,  and  was  in  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  and  at  the  siege  of  Boston.  He 
was  commissioned  captain  in  Knox's  Artillery,  and 
was  in  the  battle  of  White  Plains;  was  made 
major  in  Greaton's  Regiment,  January  1,  1777  ; 
was  aide  to  General  Lincoln  at  Saratoga,  and  com- 
missioned lieutenant-colonel  of  Crane's  Artillery 
Regiment,  July  15,  1777,  in  which  he  continued 
until  the  disbanding  of  the  army  in  1783.  After 
the  war  he  resided  in  Bolton  and  in  Maiden,  Mas- 
sachusetts. He  was  an  inspector  of  customs  in 
Boston,  and  walked  to  and  from  Maiden,  four 
miles,  every  day,  from  1789  until  he  was  more 
than  eighty-four  years  old. 

John  S.  Popkin  was  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel 
John  Popkin,  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati  in  1827.  I  knew  him  well,  from 
my  entrance  in  college  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He 
was  born  in  Boston,  June  19,  1771,  and  died  in 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  March  2,  1852.  He 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1792  ;  was  Greek 
tutor  there  from  1795  to  1798;  professor  of  the 
Greek  language,  1815-26  ;  Eliot  Professor  of  Greek 
literature,  1826-33.  He  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  D.  D.  from  Harvard  College  in  1815. 
He  had  been  pastor  of  the  Federal  Street  Church 


230  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  Boston  (Dr.  Channing's)  from  1799  to  1802, 
and  of  the  First  Church  in  Newbury  from  1804 
to  1815. 

When  I  entered  college  he  examined  me  in 
Graeca  Minora,  and  my  class  recited  to  him  for 
three  years.  He  was  a  model  of  thorough  instruc- 
tion, and  kindly,  gentle,  and  impartial  in  his  man- 
ner. He  would  assist  a  student  in  such  a  way  as 
to  call  out  his  ability,  without  making  him  indolent 
or  in  danger  of  leaning  too  much  on  his  teacher. 
His  hearing  was  not  perfect,  and  roguish  youth 
would  sometimes  take  advantage  of  this  infirmity. 
A  student  in  a  class  after  mine,  was  once  "  taken 
up  "  by  him  on  a  lesson  in  history,  of  which  branch 
the  Professor  was  for  a  long  time  the  teacher. 
"  A  — ,  who  was  the  third  king  of  France  ?  "  The 
student  replied  promptly,  as  if  certain  of  being 
right.  "  What  did  you  say?"  asked  the  unsus- 
pecting Professor.  The  answer  was  very  quick, 
and  might  sound  like  several  short  names.  On  a 
repetition  of  the  confusing  wwd,  —  "I  am  a  little 
deaf,"  said  the  Doctor,  "but  T  believe  you  are 
right."  "  Very  far,"  whispered  a  fellow-student, 
"from  the  truth." 

In  important  business  transactions  with  Dr. 
Popkin  I  found  him  very  exact,  as  accurate  as  he 
was  in  his  college  offices.  Few  men  excelled 
him  in  a  knowledge  of  practical  affairs,  and  his 
integrity,  honesty,  and  reliability  were  eminent ; 
the  man  was  a  counterpart  of  the  scholar  and 
instructor. 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  231 

Constant  Freeman,  an  original  member  of 
the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  was  baptized  at 
Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  February  27,  1757, 
and  entered  the  Boston  Latin  School  in  1766.  He 
was  commissioned  lieutenant  in  Knox's  Artillery  in 
1776  ;  was  lieutenant  and  was  acting  captain  in 
Crane's  Artillery,  October  1,  1778  ;  appointed  cap- 
tain in  the  United  States  Infantry,  March,  1791, 
but  declined  ;  afterward  commissioned  major  in  the 
regular  army,  lieutenant-colonel,  brevet-colonel 
(July  10,  1812),  and  on  the  reduction  of  the  army 
in  1815,  was  mustered  out  of  service.  He  held 
offices  in  the  navy  department  at  Washington 
from  1816  until  his  death.  Constant  Freeman,  his 
father,  married,  September  23,  1754,  Lois  Cobb, 
and  had  two  children,  Constant  and  Rev.  James 
Freeman,  D.  D.  Major  Freeman  died  February 
27,  1824. 

Charles  Henry  Davis  was  a  son  of  Hon. 
Daniel  Davis  —  whom  I  well  recollect  as  a  dignified 
and  efficient  public  officer  —  and  Lois  Freeman, 
sister  of  Constant.  Through  her  Admiral  Davis 
succeeded,  as  nephew,  Major  Constant  in  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  in  1843.  He  was  born 
in  Boston,  January  16,  1807  ;  made  A.  M.  by  Har- 
vard College  in  1841,  and  LL.  D.  in  1868. 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  while  spend- 
ing a  season  in  company  with  him  and  Mrs.  Davis, 
whom  he  married  in  1842,  that  he  deeply  impressed 
me  with  those  marked  and  commanding  qualities 


232  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

which  had  led  to  his  advancement,  and  honorable 
career  through  life.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  Au- 
gust 12,  1823,  he  was  appointed  a  midshipman  in 
the  United  States  Navy.  He  was  made  lieutenant 
March  3,  1834  ;  commander,  June  13,  1854  ;  cap- 
tain, November  15,  1861 ;  and  rear-admiral,  Febru- 
ary 7,  1863.  He  was  fleet-captain  in  Dupont's 
expedition  against  Port  Royal,  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  distinguished  himself  in  operations 
on  the  Mississippi  River  at  Memphis  and  Vicks- 
burg.  He  was  also  eminent  as  a  mathematician 
and  physicist,  and  contributed  various  papers  to 
scientific  journals  upon  "  Tidal  Currents,"  the 
"  Law  of  Deposit,"  etc.  He  wrote  a  paper  on  the 
"  United  States  Coast  Survey,"  in  1849 ;  was 
founder  of  the  "  Nautical  Almanac,"  and  super- 
intended it  1849-56 ;  was  chief  of  the  bureau 
of  navigation,  Washington,  in  1862;  commander 
of  the  South  Atlantic  Squadron,  1867-69 ;  and 
commandant  of  the  navy-yard,  at  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia, from  1873  to  his  death,  February  18, 
1877. 

Admiral  Davis  possessed  large  native  abilities, 
which  were  highly  cultivated.  By  his  earnest 
spirit  and  rare  industry  he  made  most  valuable 
contributions  to  science,  while  his  practical  skill 
and  executive  talent  made  him  successful  in  what- 
ever he  undertook.  The  country  owes  him  a  large 
debt  for  his  patriotic  and  successful  devotion  in 
serving  the  Union  in  the  late  Civil  War.  His 
gentlemanly  manners  and    extended    information 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  233 

rendered  him  as  agreeable  in  private  as  he  was 
honored  in  public. 

John  Collins  Warren  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Dr.  John  and  Abigail  (Collins)  Warren.  His 
father  was  professor  of  anatomy  and  surgery  in 
Harvard  College  from  1783  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1815.  His  son,  Dr.  John  C.  Warren, 
studied  medicine,  anatomy,  and  surgery  with  him, 
he  being  a  distinguished  practitioner.  The  son 
had  also  the  advantage  of  studying  in  the  cele- 
brated hospitals  of  London  and  Paris. 

Dr.  John  Collins  Warren  was  a  nephew  of  Gen- 
eral Joseph  Warren,  and  as  such  was  admitted  to 
the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  1854,  under  the 
rule  adopted  that  year,  having  been  elected  previ- 
ously, in  1847,  an  honorary  member.  He  was  as- 
sistant professor  of  anatomy  and  surgery  in  Harvard 
College,  1805-15;  full  professor,  1815-47;  and 
afterward  professor  emeritus.  As  he  occupied 
the  professor's  chair  while  I  was  in  college,  I  had 
an  opportunity,  in  my  senior  year,  to  hear  his  ad- 
mirable course  of  lectures,  and  to  know  a  good  deal 
of  him.  I  have  before  me  an  engraving  of  his 
portrait  painted  by  Stuart,  when  he  was  but 
twenty-nine  years  old.  The  face  is  striking  in  its 
combination  of  strength  and  sweetness.  The  ruf- 
iled-bosomed  shirt,  high  collar,  and  "  choker " 
cravat  give  a  good  idea  of  the  style  of  that  period. 
His  bright  eye,  Grecian  nose,  and  finely  formed 
mouth  and  chin   show  the  great  personal  beauty, 


234  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  which  much  remained  when  we  saw  him  in  his 
place  as  a  lecturer.  His  manner  might  be  called 
dry  by  one  not  interested  in  his  subject,  but  with 
the  details  of  anatomy  he  mingled  much  of  his 
native  facetiousness.  Holding  up  before  us  one 
day  part  of  a  skeleton,  he  said  :  "  You  notice  here 
a  process  —  or  rather  you  do  not  notice  it,  for  it  is 
wanting  in  this  subject.''  He  was  recommending, 
at  another  time,  moderation  in  diet.  "If,"  said  he, 
"  you  will  set  a  plate  by  the  side  of  that  from  which 
you  take  your  dinner,  and  place  upon  it,  for  each 
article,  another  portion  of  the  same  size  as  you 
eat,  you  will  probably  be  astonished  at  the  mass 
left  before  you.  I  see  nothing  but  the  weight  of 
this  accumulation  that  could  carry  such  amounts 
through  all  the  processes  of  digestion." 

Dr.  Warren's  long  life  —  he  was  born  August  1, 
1778,  in  Boston,  and  died  there  May  4,  1856  — 
was  filled  with  activity,  and  he  received  its  de- 
served honors.  He  began  practice  in  Boston  in 
1802,  and  became  specially  distinguished  as  a 
surgeon.  He  was,  in  1846,  the  first  to  use  ether 
in  surgical  operations.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  in  1820, 
and  principal  surgeon  in  daily  attendance  there 
until  his  death.  He  was  also  a  founder  of  the 
McLean  Asylum  for  the  insane  ;  was  president  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  1832-36,  and 
of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  at  his 
death  ;  and  was  a  member  of  the  principal  scien- 
tific bodies  in  America  and   Europe.     He  devoted 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  A6o 

much  of  his  later  life  to  the  natural  sciences  ;  and 
his  collections  in  comparative  anatomy,  osteology, 
and  paleontology,  one  of  the  best  private  collec- 
tions in  the  world,  included  the  most  perfect 
skeleton  of  a  mastodon  known  to  exist.  He  was 
an  earnest  friend  of  temperance,  and  for  many 
years  president  of  the  Massachusetts  Temperance 
Society.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  establish- 
ing the  "  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal," 
and  from  1828,  for  some  years,  was  its  associate 
editor.  He  also  wrote  and  published  numerous 
treatises  upon  medical  and  other  subjects. 

Daniel  Webster  was  unanimously  admitted 
an  honorary  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  at  the  annual  meeting  July  4, 
1851.  His  father,  Hon.  Ebenezer  Webster,  al- 
though not  a  member  of  the  Cincinnati,  was  in 
the  military  service  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  New  Hampshire  line,  and 
fought  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Bennington. 

For  his  surpassing  intellectual  ability,  his  emi- 
nence as  a  lawyer  and  his  distinguished  services 
as  a  statesman,  for  his  patriotism  and  his  deep  in- 
terest in  our  Revolution,  in  all  its  civil  as  well  as 
military  aspects  and  relations,  the  name  of  Daniel 
Webster  should  appear  in  this  book. 

Keeping  the  main  purpose  of  this  volume  in 
view,  I  shall  only  bring  forward  a  few  personal 
reminiscences  of  him  and  his  work.  1  first  heard 
him  in  the   year  1822,  when  he  was  in  the    prime 


236  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  manhood.  He  was  then  arguing,  in  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Massachusetts,  a  case  where  the 
validity  of  a  will  was  in  controversy.  The  con- 
test was  between  the  heirs  of  the  deceased  and  a 
certain  church,  to  which,  it  was  contended,  unduly 
influenced  by  its  clergyman,  the  testator  in  his 
last  hours  had  devised  most  of  his  property. 
Mr.  Webster  claimed  that  the  deceased  was  then 
too  feeble  in  mind  to  make  a  true  will.  His  whole 
argument  was  a  masterly  production  ;  but  one  an- 
ecdote, related  in  his  impressive  manner,  I  particu- 
larly recollect.  It  was  an  incident  which  occurred 
in  Spain.  A  rich  Catholic  on  his  death-bed  was 
visited  by  a  certain  friar,  and  in  solemn  form  was 
thus  interrogated  :  "  Is  it  your  last  will  and  testa- 
ment that  your  estate  in  Andalusia  shall  be  given 
to  Holy  Mother  Church  ?  "  The  dying  man  re- 
plied, "  Yes."  The  friar  proceeded  :  "  Is  it  your 
last  will  and  testament  that  your  estate  in  Cas- 
tile be  given  to  Holy  Mother  Church  ? "  The 
answer  was,  "  Yes."  And  thus  the  eager  ecclesi- 
astic went  on  until  the  son  of  the  testator  who 
stood  near,  anxious  lest  his  dying  parent  would 
will  away  his  entire  property,  angrily  interposed  : 
"  Father,  is  it  your  last  will  and  testament  that  I 
should  take  your  gold-headed  cane  and  drive  this 
friar  out  of  the  chamber?"  "Yes,"  was  the  still 
affirmative  reply.  The  dramatic  powrer  writh  which 
this  thrilling  story  was  told  produced  an  electric 
effect  on  every  one  present.  The  intellectual 
force  and  moral   enthusiasm,   the    majestic   form, 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  237 

leonine  voice,  and  fire-winged  eye  of  the  speaker, 
and  the  apparently  consecrated  absorption  of  his 
inmost  nature  in  the  matter  at  issue,  gave  a  meas- 
ureless power  to  his  condensed  and  commanding 
language. 

After  hearing  Mr.  Webster  in  his  memorable 
eulogy  on  the  death  of  Adams  and  Jefferson, 
which  occurred  July  4,  1826,  and  on  other  public 
occasions,  in  the  year  1840  I  became  personally  ac- 
quainted with  him.  It  was  at  a  dinner  given, 
during  the  heat  of  the  Harrison  campaign,  to  the 
Hon.  W.  J.  Graves  of  Kentucky,  then  a  member 
of  Congress.  I  recall  the  circle  that  gathered 
there.  It  was  at  Porter's  Hall  in  Cambridge. 
The  eye  and  ear  of  every  individual  were  directed 
to  one  and  another,  as  they  came  in  with  fresh 
news  of  some  State  announced  as  for  the  hero  of 
North  Bend.  No  one  listened  more  eagerly  to 
these  tidings  than  Mr.  Webster.  Who  could  ever 
forget  that  grand  figure,  the  broad  shoulders  and 
capacious  chest,  the  blue  coat  and  bright  buttons, 
the  bun0  vest,  that  broad  and  massive  forehead 
beetling  above  his  powerful  features,  his  thick 
glossy  hair  of  a  jet  blackness,  those  large,  dark  and 
beaming  eyes,  that  exquisitely  carved  mouth,  those 
versatile,  fascinating  lips,  that  radiant  smile,  the 
childlike  glee,  his  irrepressible  humor,  and  the 
merry  ring  of  his  contagious  laugh  ?  At  the  head 
of  the  table  sat  our  noble  Webster ;  on  his  right, 
Mr.  Graves,  the  guest  from  Kentucky  ;  next  the 
accomplished  and  dignified  Everett,  then  governor 


238  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  the  Commonwealth,  and  second  only  in  attrac- 
tiveness to  the  master  of  the  feast.  On  his  left 
sat  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  the  orator  and  statesman, 
whose  offices  in  Congress,  as  representative  and 
speaker  of  the  house,  and  member  of  the  sen- 
ate, covering  a  period  of  many  eventful  years, 
were  a  deserved  tribute  to  his  own  merits,  no 
less  than  to  one  in  the  illustrious  line  of  the 
Winthrops. 

I  shall  refer  to  but  one  other  of  the  many  occa- 
sions on  which  Mr.  Webster  showed  his  power  at 
the  bar.  When  at  the  height  of  his  fame  he  ar- 
gued a  case  in  the  District  Court  of  Boston,  with 
William  Wirt  as  opposing  counsel.  Wirt  then  stood 
at  the  summit  of  his  reputation  as  a  leader  of  the 
bar,  combining  native  genius  with  liberal  culture. 
That  was  one  of  the  red-letter  days  in  the  legal 
calendar;  it  was  as  if  Demosthenes  and  Cicero 
should  stand  up  as  opponents  in  the  same  forum. 
Wirt  represented  the  classic  orator  of  Rome.  He 
presented  a  figure  large  and  imposing,  like  his  an- 
tagonist, —  a  face  of  winning  sweetness,  a  smile  to 
charm,  a  rich,  almost  perfectly  modulated  voice  - 
and  his  gestures,  replete  with  grace,  took  captive 
the  mass  of  earnest  listeners  who  crowded  the 
court  room.  Many  ladies,  as  well  as  gentlemen, 
were  present.  Mr.  Wirt,  in  his  exordium,  casting 
a  glance  on  the  multitude,  alluded  felicitously  to 
the  dryness  of  the  law,  and  regretted  that,  instead 
of  bringing  graces  which  might  entertain  the  im- 
agination, he  was  to  lead  those  present  "  through 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI. 


239 


the  arid  paths  and  over  the  barren  plains  of  the 
law."  But  such  was  the  magnetism  of  the  man 
himself  that,  quite  independently  of  his  argument, 
we  were  enchained  by  the  spell  of  his  manner. 

Mr.  Webster  by  his  crystal  clearness  of  thought, 
his  compressed  sentences,  and  deliberate  and  pon- 
derous utterance,  —  and  by  those  pauses,  hardly 
less  impressive  than  the  words  that  preceded  and 
followed  them,  —  carried  bench,  bar,  ladies,  and 
even  the  sternest  of  the  men  to  the  last  step  of  his 
honored  and  triumphant  march. 

Hamilton  Fish  was  born  in  New   York  City, 
August  3,  1808.     His  father,  Nicholas  Fish,   was 
an  officer  in  the  Revolution,  and  an  original  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.     He  led  he- 
roically at  Yorktown,  was  an  excellent  disciplina- 
rian, and  enjoyed  the   confidence  of  Washington. 
In  1797  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  New  York 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.     He  was  a  man  of  ele- 
gant  scholarship,    and    of   great    refinement   and 
cultivated  manners.     His  portrait  expresses  bravery 
and  strength,  joined  with   attractive  and  winning 
qualities    of  character.     Hamilton  Fish  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  Society   of  the  Cincinnati.     He 
graduated  at  Columbia  College  in  1827  ;  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1830 ;  was  in  the  legislature 
of  New  York  in  1837  ;  representative  in  Congress, 
1843-45;  lieutenant-governor  of  New  York,  1847 
-49 ;  governor  of  New    York,   1849-51  ;    United 
States  Senator,  1851-57.     In  1862  he  was  a  mem- 


240  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ber  of  the  commission  to  visit  the  soldiers  confined 
in  Confederate  prisons ;  in  March,  1869,  he  was 
appointed  secretary  of  state  by  President  Grant, 
which  office  he  held  eight  years.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Historical  Society  in  1880, 
and  president  of  the  Union  League  Club. 

In  1854  he  was  elected  president  of  the  National 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  still  holds  that 
office.  I  received  valuable  information  by  letter 
from  him  in  regard  to  members  of  that  Society, 
and  prize  highly  his  autograph.  He  was  present 
at  the  dinner  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  of 
Harvard  University,  in  1871,  when  he  received 
from  that  institution  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  ;  which 
honor  he  had  previously  received  from  Columbia 
and  Union  colleges  in  New  York.  I  occupied  a 
seat  near  him,  and  was  impressed  by  his  classic 
face,  which  expresses  intellectual  power  with  moral 
eminence.  His  dignified  and  eloquent  speech  on 
that  occasion  was  worthy  the  high  position  and 
character  of  the  man. 

The  wife  of  Hamilton  Fish  was  great-great- 
granddaughter  of  Governor  Stuyvesant  of  New 
York. 

COBB      FAMILY. 

David  Cobb,  an  original  member  of  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  was  born  in  Attleborough,  Mas- 
sachusetts, September  14,  1748,  and  died  April  17, 
1830.  His  record  is  highly  honorable.  He  gradu- 
ated at  Harvard  College  in  1766.     In  1777  he  was 


SOCIETY    OF    THE    CINCINNATI.  241 

lieutenant-colonel  of  Henry  Jackson's  Regiment, 
and  was  distinguished  by  Revolutionary  services  in 
New  Jersey  and  Rhode  Island.  He  was  aide-de- 
camp to  Washington  from  June  15, 1781,  to  1783  ; 
and  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Cornwallis ;  he 
was  made  lieutenant-colonel,  commanding  the  Fifth 
Regiment,  January  7,  1783,  and  afterward  briga- 
dier-general by  brevet.  He  was  in  the  Massachu- 
setts House  of  Representatives,  1789-93 ;  and  a 
member  of  Congress,  1793-95 ;  member  of  the 
Executive  Council  in  1808  ;  president  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Senate,  1801-04  ;  lieutenant-governor  of 
Massachusetts  in  1809;  resident  of  Maine,  1799- 
1820;  chief-justice  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  1803-09  ;  major-general  of  the  Fifth  Divis- 
ion of  Massachusetts  Militia ;  vice-president  of  the 
Massachusetts  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  1810-11. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences,  and  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 
His  portrait  was,  on  February  23,  1882,  presented 
by  Hon.  S.  C.  Cobb  to  the  State  ;  and  —  a  richly 
deserved  honor  —  it  was  that  day  placed  in  the 
Massachusetts  Senate  chamber,  with  addresses  by 
the  president  of  the  senate  and  other  members  of 
that  body. 

Samuel  Crocker  Cobb  is  a  grandson  of  Gen- 
eral David  Cobb,  and  was  born  in  Taunton,  Massa- 
chusetts, May  22,  1826.  He  wTas  admitted  to  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati  in  1856  ;  was  its  secretary 
1865-71,  its  vice-president  in  1871,  and  president 

16 


242  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  1880.  Mr.  Cobb  was  an  alderman  of  the  city  of 
Roxbury  in  1861  and  1862  j  he  was  president  of 
the  Roxbury  Charitable  Society,  and  held  other 
important  public  trusts  in  that  city.  He  was 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Boston,  1874-76,  in  which 
office  he  manifested  an  energy,  courage,  and  firm 
non-partisanship  which,  with  his  inbred  courtesy, 
good  judgment,  and  experience,  made  his  admin- 
istration very  popular.  He  was  elected  actuary  of 
the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital  in  1880.  He 
married  Aurelia  L.  Beattie  in  1848.  They  have 
no  children. 

Mr.  Cobb  has  been  eminent  in  business,  an 
honorable  and  successful  merchant ;  and  his  intelli- 
gence, high  moral  standing,  and  engaging  manners 
have  won  for  him  confidence  and  respect  both  in 
private  and  public. 

I  am  indebted  to  him  personally  for  valuable 
aid  in  relation  to  the  General  and  State  Societies 
of  the  Cincinnati,  and  for  suggestions  derived  from 
other  quarters  through  his  courteous  assistance. 


THE    LIBERTY    TREE, 


CHAPTER    Xm. 

REVOLUTIONARY   MEN   IN   THE   WAR  OF   1812. 

Among  the  families  who  retained  personally  or 
received  by  inheritance  the  military  or  naval 
spirit  of  the  Revolution,  are  several  too  prominent 
to  be  overlooked.  Passing  by,  of  necessity,  many 
to  whom  I  would  gladly  do  justice  in  this  connec- 
tion, I  can  speak  of  a  few  only  whose  friendship  I 
have  enjoyed,  and  others  whose  acquaintance  has 
been  a  privilege. 

Henry  Dearborn  was  born  in  Hampton,  New 
Hampshire,  in  March,  1751,  and  died  at  Rox- 
bury,  Massachusetts,  June  6,  1829.  He  was  an 
original  member,  in  New  Hampshire,  of  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati.  In  1814,  July  4,  at  a  public 
dinner  in  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  I  first  saw 
General  Dearborn.  He  was  received  with  great 
enthusiasm,  and  I  looked  upon  him  with  intense 
interest.  His  large  and  commanding  figure,  his 
rich  military  dress,  his  brave  air,  his  martial 
face,  and  urbane  manners  attracted  universal 
attention. 


244  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Henry  Dearborn  was  practising  medicine  in 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  when,  on  the  20th 
of  April,  1775,  hearing  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton, he  immediately  marched,  with  a  company  of 
sixty  volunteers,  and  reached  Cambridge,  distant 
sixty-five  miles,  the  next  day.  He  was  made  a 
captain  under  General  Stark;  was  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17;  and  accompanied  Ar- 
nold on  the  expedition  to  Quebec.  At  that  place 
he  was  taken  prisoner,  December  31,  1776,  and 
was  exchanged  in  March,  1777.  He  served  as 
major  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  September  19, 
the  same  year,  and  distinguished  himself  and  his 
regiment  by  a  brave  charge  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth,  in  April,  1778.  He  was  in  Sullivan's 
expedition  against  the  Indians  in  1779 ;  was  with 
the  army  of  Washington  at  Yorktown  in  1781,  as 
colonel  of  the  First  New  Hampshire  Kegiment ; 
in  garrison  duty  in  1782  at  Saratoga;  and  in  the 
main  army  until  the  peace  of  1783. 

He  was  appointed,  by  President  Washington, 
marshal  of  the  district  of  Maine  ;  was  twice  a 
member  of  Congress ;  and  for  eight  years,  under 
Jefferson,  was  secretary  of  war.  In  1812  he  be- 
came senior  major-general  in  the  United  States 
Army.  In  1813  he  captured  York  in  Upper  Can- 
ada, and  Fort  George  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara, 
and  afterward  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
military  district  of  New  York.  In  1815  he  re- 
signed his  commission  in  the  army,  and,  after  hold- 
ing for  some  years  the  office  of  collector  of  the  port 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       245 

of  Boston,  May  7,  1822,  was  appointed  Minister  to 
Portugal.  At  the  end  of  ten  years  he  left  that 
position,  at  his  own  request. 

General  Dearborn  in  his  prime,  and,  as  seen 
in  his  portrait  painted  by  Stuart,  was  tall,  well 
proportioned,  and  appeared  very  vigorous,  fitted 
for  the  great  toils  and  fatigues  of  his  life.  His 
countenance  and  whole  figure  were  dignified  and 
commanding  ;  although  in  later  years  when  I  saw 
him,  he  seemed  somewhat  encumbered  with  flesh. 
He  was  well  fitted  for  the  various  offices,  military 
and  civil,  which  he  held.  His  mind  was  solid 
and  comprehensive,  and  improved  constantly  by 
culture.  He  had  a  native  loftiness  of  character 
which  forbade  intrigue  and  duplicity,  and  was 
above  envy  and  the  low  art  of  disparaging  others 
to  exalt  himself.  In  his  domestic  and  private  life 
he  was  singularly  happy  ;  and  of  his  two  children 
one,  who  wras  the  honored  son  of  an  honored 
father,  appreciated  his  character  and  manifestly 
aimed  to  follow  his  precepts  and  copy  his  example. 

The  connection  of  General  Henry  Dearborn 
with  the  War  of  1812  leads  me  to  speak  of  that 
contest,  and  of  the  fears  and  superstitions  it 
awakened.  I  was  but  a  small  boy  when  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  was 
declared  by  Congress,  through  James  Madison,  then 
President.  The  country  was  intensely  excited 
at  that  time  by  the  animosities  of  the  two  great 
political  parties,  Federal  and  Democratic.  My 
father  was  a  warm   Federalist,   and   of  course   I 


246  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

was  a  sage  follower  in  his  path.  I  heard  constantly 
of  the  wickedness  of  our  rulers,  called  Jacobins, 
who  had  plunged  us  needlessly  into  the  war,  with 
all  its  atrocities  and  sufferings.  The  Indians  were 
employed  by  our  foe  as  allies,  and  when  the  scalps 
of  our  people  were  brought  in,  the  British  officers 
congratulated  the  savages  for  their  bravery,  and 
gold  was  paid  them  for  these  trophies.  Again  and 
again  no  quarter  was  given  to  prisoners,  and  the 
helpless  and  fallen  were  put  to  death.  My  young 
blood  was  chilled  when  I  read  in  the  papers  such 
language  as  that  of  Admiral  Cockburn  —  referring 
to  the  conduct  of  the  Eussians  in  their  contest 
with  Napoleon  —  "  The  Cossacks  spared  Paris,  but 
we  did  not  spare  the  capital  of  America."  I 
noticed  many  years  since,  when  the  Admiral  died, 
the  "  London  Times  "  lauded  that  act  —  although 
the  capital  was  then  entirely  unprotected  —  as  "  a 
splendid  achievement."  I  was  shocked  to  hear  of 
a  British  officer  who  went  to  a  quiet  house  on 
Chesapeake  Bay,  and,  finding  three  young  ladies 
there  at  tea,  gave  them  only  ten  minutes  to  clear 
their  house,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  set 
fire  to  the  building.  It  seemed  hardly  consistent 
in  the  organ  of  the  British  government,  in  our  re- 
cent struggle  to  save  the  life  of  the  nation,  after 
having  justified  such  acts,  to  lecture  us,  as  it  did, 
for  our  lust  of  power  and  our  barbarity  in  war- 
fare, and  to  call  England  the  guardian  of  civiliza- 
tion. Let  us  rejoice  that  a  better  spirit  now 
prevails  in  our  mother  country. 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       247 

I  recall  many  brave  men  whom  I  saw  at  that 
period,  and  among  them  the  noble  figure  of 
General  Miller,  the  hero  of  Fort  Erie.  How  he 
towered  up,  as  I  looked  on  him  afterward  at  my 
father's  house,  and  thought  of  his  glorious  words 
when  ordered  to  storm  that  fort :  "  I  '11  try,  sir." 

My  pulse  was  stirred  when  an  uncle  returned 
from  a  privateering  expedition  —  a  good  Christian 
man  he  was,  too,  and  his  course  was  thought  no 
sin  —  and  told  us  of  his  conflicts  on  the  seas,  and 
made  us  children  presents  from  the  trophies  of  his 
adventures.  Among  these  things  I  remember  a 
pair  of  nice  gloves,  enclosed  in  an  English-walnut 
shell. 

My  father,  -though  opposed  to  the  war,  joined  a 
company  of  "  Lexington  Exempts,"  and  his  gun 
and  knapsack,  marked  wjth  the  initial  of  our  town, 
stood  in  sight,  ready  for  the  call  to  the  battle-field. 
We  boys,  too,  formed  our  little  company,  of  which 
I  was  proud  to  rank  as  ensign,  with  my  redoubt- 
able tin  sword  and  plush  belt  and  cockade.  Did 
not  my  heart  swell  with  patriotism  as  we  paraded 
through  the  streets  ?  Sometimes  we  had  an 
evening  drill,  which  was  specially  enjoyed  when 
some  generous  friend  would  invite  us  to  halt  in 
front  of  his  window,  and  would  bring  forth  a  lib- 
eral entertainment. 

The  privations  we  suffered  during  the  War  of 
1812  were  only  second  to  those  of  our  fathers  in 
the  Eevolution.  I  can  never  forget  the  straits  to 
which  it  brought  us  in  the  family.     Nearly  all  im- 


248  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ported  articles  were  beyond  our  means  ;  our  gar- 
ments were  of  cheap  fabrics.  A  blue  broadcloth 
of  American  manufacture,  presented  to  my  father, 
was  made  for  long  years  to  do  service,  until  its 
threads  could  be  almost  counted.  Not  only  foreign 
coffees  and  all  the  best  teas  were  denied  us,  but  at 
last  the  miserable  bohea  tea  and  rye  coffee  were 
cut  off  from  constant  use  ;  and  we  would  sit 
around  our  board,  confined,  one  and  all,  to  the  oft 
recurring  baked  apples  and  milk. 

Not  only  did  the  whole  country  feel  the  indirect 
pressure  of  want,  but  a  fearful  direct  taxation  con- 
sumed their  very  substance.  The  race  of  chil- 
dren then  learned  one  virtue,  to  which  many  in 
the  present  day  are  strangers  ;  we*  acquired  no 
taste  for  luxuries.  Simple  food,  and  moderate 
indulgence  at  the  table,  left  us,  in  after  life, 
with  no  cravings  for  the  ten  thousand  superflu- 
ities which  now  so  often  injure  both  health  and 
character. 

It  was  the  custom  throughout  the  war  to  follow 
each  great  victory  with  some  national  song.  Mrs. 
Margaret  Sanderson,  widow  of  Colonel  Henry  S. 
Sanderson,  who  died  in  New  York  in  1882  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years,  was  only  fifteen  years  old 
at  the  time  of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Mc- 
Henry  in  1812  ;  but  she  made  with  her  own  hands, 
out  of  costly  silk,  the  flag  which  inspired  Francis 
Scott  Key  to  write  the  "Star-spangled  Banner. " 
She  presented  it  to  Colonel  George  Armstead,  the 
commandant  of  the  fort,  just  before   the  British 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       241) 

appeared  in  the  bay.  During  the  subsequent  en- 
gagement the  flag  floated  over  the  fort,  and  was 
seen  by  Key  while  he  was  confined  in  a  British 
man-of-war.  After  the  war  the  flag  was  returned 
to  its  maker,  and  the  original  Star-spangled  Ban- 
ner is  one  of  the  treasures  of  the  Sanderson  family. 
My  youthful  heart  thrilled  with  fresh  delight,  as 
the  noble  Perry's  achievement  on  Lake  Erie,  or 
the  heroism  of  Hull  in  the  old  "  Constitution,"  or 
some  other  like  success,  was  set  forth  in  quickening 
verse. 

Nor  was  it  our  own  country  alone  which  called 
forth  these  poetic  effusions.  The  fortunes  of 
France  were  then  watched  with  eager  eyes ;  and 
the  little  Federalists  rejoiced  with  the  older  ones 
when  the  great  Napoleon  had  at  last  been  con- 
quered and  captured ;  and  when,  as  the  song  of 
the  day  ran,  he  was  "  cooped  up  in  the  Island  of 
Elba."  When,  after  his  ninety  days'  exile,  his 
return,  and  renewed  battles,  tidings  came  of  his 
Waterloo  defeat,  and  I  saw  Boston  illuminated  for 
the  victory  of  the  "  Holy  Alliance,"  I  joined,  with 
my  father  and  all  the  fathers  of  Federalism,  in 
shouting  the  loud  pasan  of  the  hour. 

After  a  struggle  of  nearly  three  years'  duration 
the  war  terminated.  Although  this  was  more 
than  sixty  years  ago,  I  recollect  the  very  spot 
where  I  stood,  by  the  stove  in  the  old,  one-story 
schoolhouse,  when,  February  13,  1815,  a  compan- 
ion whispered  to  me  as  he  came  in,  "There  is 
peace."     A  jubilee  at  once  filled  our  young  hearts, 


250  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  precious  little  study  was  there  through  that 
long  afternoon.  In  the  evening  the  two  field- 
pieces  of  our  artillery  company  were  dragged 
through  the  deep  snow  to  the  venerated  Com- 
mon of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  a  salvo  was 
fired  to  which  all  hearts  responded.  Erelong  I 
joined  with  the  older  boys  of  our  party  in  the  jeu 
d' esprit  of  the  hour :  "  Peace  ratified  ;  Federalists 
gratified  ;  Democrats  mortified." 

My  paternal  grandfather,  full  of  personal  memo- 
ries of  the  great  contest  of  1775,  designated  this 
short  and  comparatively  unimportant  conflict  as 
"  the  Sixpenny  War  of  1812."  But  it  was  claimed 
by  many,  at  the  time,  that  our  glorious  victories, 
especially  those  by  sea  and  on  the  lakes,  vindicated 
our  national  honor  on  the  water  as  on  the  land, 
and  made  Great  Britain  pay  us  a  more  just 
respect. 

Many  thought  the  fearful  events  of  that  period 
were  the  frowns  of  Providence  on  our  wicked  war. 
As  1  look  back  to  those  years,  they  seem  to  me 
full  of  thrilling  experiences.  Soon  after  the  war, 
in  September,  1815,  occurred  that  memorable  gale 
which  sent  terror  throughout  our  community.  It 
began  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon, coming  from  the  southeast,  and  continued 
about  four  hours.  Houses  and  barns  were  blown 
down,  chimneys  were  overthrown,  and  windows 
dashed  in  ;  the  tides  in  Boston  and  Cambridge, 
we  heard,  were  fearfully  high  ;  and  in  the  latter 
place  a  vessel  was  washed  up  from  the  shore  and 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       251 

driven  into  the  main  street  of  the  town.  I  saw, 
during  the  morning,  trees  of  the  larger  size  up- 
rooted in  every  direction.  A  new  shed  one  hun- 
dred feet  long,  which  my  father  had  built  for  his 
hotel,  was  taken  up,  carried  high  in  the  air  as  if 
by  a  giant's  hand,  and  dropped  a  long  way  from 
its  foundation.  I  followed  my  father  to  one  of 
his  houses,  where  he  saw  the  roof  at  one  end  be- 
ginning to  rise,  and  rushed  with  him  to  the  attic, 
where,  axe  in  hand,  he  dashed  out  the  windows  at 
the  other  end,  and  thus  saved  the  unroofing  of  the 
house.  The  air,  at  the  distance  of  thirteen  miles 
from  the  ocean,  was  so  saturated  with  salt  water 
that  it  was  difficult  to  breathe.  This  was  Satur- 
day ;  and  the  next  day  the  church  was  not  opened, 
for  the  roads  were  all  so  covered  with  trees  up- 
rooted and  blown  into  them,  that  as  was  said,  "  the 
people  could  not  ride  to  meeting." 

Still  another  calamity.  The  very  next  year 
the  weather  was  fearfully  cold.  The  first  of  May, 
1816,  there  was  talk  about  "  spots  on  the  sun  ;  " 
and,  as  we  looked  through  smoked  glass,  we  could 
see  them  very  plainly.  They  continued  on  through 
June,  and  in  July  the  same  or  similar  spots  were 
clearly  to  be  seen.  Some  evenings  we  had  to 
make  fires  in  order  to  be  comfortable.  There 
were  heavy  frosts,  and  many  vegetables  were  cut 
down.  Several  mornings  ice  was  to  be  seen  nearly 
half  an  inch  thick.  There  was,  in  the  month  of 
June,  snow  enough  to  nearly  cover  the  ground. 
In  July  and  August   it  was   less    cold,  although 


252  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

there  were,  in  some  places,  slight  frosts ;  but  in 
September  snow  fell  several  hours  in  succession. 
The  crop  of  corn  was  nearly  all  destroyed  on  my 
father's  land.  We  stripped  the  ears,  but  they 
turned  black,  and  we  could  not  even  use  the  corn 
for  our  cattle.  The  next  spring,  seeds  of  many 
kinds  were  sold,  not  by  measure,  but  by  number. 

This  loss  of  the  crops,  with  the  frightful  debt 
brought  on  our  country  by  the  war,  was  the  con- 
stant talk  in  every  place.  We  were  obliged  to 
straiten  ourselves  in  clothing,  in  every  kind  of  in- 
dulgence, and  even  in  our  food.  The  hungry  boy 
was  only  too  happy,  some  times,  in  having  his 
appetite  satisfied  with  what  was  too  meagre  for 
his  elders. 

The  superstitions  of  that  period  led  us  to  look 
with  terror  on  what  we,  in  1882,  call  beautiful. 
The  fiery  comet  of  1811  was  thought  to  have  been 
sent  as  a  harbinger  of  the  dread  war  of  the  next 
year.  It  was  said  "  the  beetles  had  a  If  on  their 
backs,  predicting  war."  It  had  been  forgotten 
that  this  same  prophetic  letter  is  always  there. 
Some  said,  "  The  end  of  the  world  is  near."  Many 
a  day,  in  the  autumn  of  that  same  year,  as  I  looked 
up  and  saw  the  smoke  in  the  air,  caused  in  reality 
by  forest  fires,  I  trembled,  as  did  older  spectators, 
at  the  idea  that  the  burning  up  of  the  earth 
had  begun,  and  the  Judgment  Day  must  be 
coming. 

An  incident  of  this  conflict  illustrates  the  roman- 
tic fortunes  of  war,  and  shows  that,  like  peace,  it 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       253 

has,  in  its  history,  truths  stranger  than  fiction. 
Abram  Johnson,  recently  (1881)  died  at  Salem, 
Pennsylvania,  having  attained  the  great  age  of 
one  hundred  and  eight  years.  He  was  born  in 
Vermont  in  1773.  Mr.  Johnson  enlisted  in  the 
army  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  made  captain 
of  a  company  of  Oneida  Indians,  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Macomb.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Plattsburg,  and  received  several  wounds  in  that 
engagement.  One  of  these  was  made  by  a  bayonet- 
thrust  in  the  knee,  and  another  was  a  sabre-cut  in 
the  neck.  He  was  left  as  dead.  He  was  taken 
from  the  field  after  the  battle  by  his  Indian  soldiers. 
Oneida,  the  sixteen-year-old  daughter  of  a  chief, 
nursed  him  until  he  was  able  to  go  out  again. 
They  loved  each  other  and,  when  peace  was  re- 
stored, were  married.  Johnson  and  his  Indian 
bride  went  to  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey.  There 
they  settled  down  and  had  a  daughter.  When 
this  girl  was  twelve  years  old  her  mother's  health 
had  failed  so  that  her  life  was  despaired  of.  She 
longed  to  go  back  to  her  people.  Her  husband 
took  her  to  her  old  home  among  the  Oneidas. 
There  she  soon  afterward  died,  and  was  buried 
with  all  the  ceremonies  of  her  tribe.  The  daugh- 
ter found  a  home  in  a  family  in  Sussex  County. 
When  she  grew  up  she  joined  the  Oneida  Indians, 
and  married  the  son  of  a  chief.  Her  father  gained 
a  competency  at  farming.  He  lost  his  money 
through  unlucky  speculation,  and  finally  became  a 
town  charge  and  died  a  pauper.  His  mind  was 
sound  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 


254  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

One  of  the  anticipated  signs  of  the  end  of  the 
world  was  thought  to  be  the  earthquake  of  1814. 
I  well  remember  the  terror  of  the  night  on  which 
it  occurred.  One  of  my  sisters  said  to  me  :  "  I 
hope  this  is  not  for  our  wTarning  only ;  I  shall  ask 
our  neighbors  in  the  morning  if  they  felt  it  too." 
And  when  we  learned  that  it  extended  to  other 
places,  and  perhaps  over  the  whole  country,  we 
joined  in  the  prevailing  opinion  that  it  was  "  a 
judgment  upon  the  people." 

An  Association  of  Veterans  of  the  War  of  1812 
was  formed  in  1853,  and  continued  until  October, 
1879.  At  the  time  of  its  dissolution,  the  surviving 
members  met  in  Boston  for  that  purpose.  There 
were  sixteen  veterans  present ;  the  youngest  was 
seventy-nine  and  the  oldest  ninety-two  years  of 
age.  The  sum  of  their  ages  was  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty-one  years.  The  venerable  president, 
Hon.  Charles  Hudson  of  Lexington,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four,  made  a  patriotic  and  affecting  address. 
With  happy  recollections  of  ijie  past,  he  said:  "On 
the  whole  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  part  we 
took  in  the  war  which  supplemented  and  perfected 
the  treaty  of  1783,  and  secured  to  our  commerce 
the  freedom  of  the  seas  and  gave  us  the  rights  and 
prerogatives  of  a  sovereign  nation."  In  the  closing 
portion  of  his  address  he  said  :  "  And  now,  fellow- 
soldiers  and  comrades,  as  we  are  about  to  part  to 
meet  no  more  on  earth,  let  us  extend  the  hand  of 
brotherhood,  and  say,  as  none  but  soldiers  can  in 
the  same  spirit,  Farewell !  " 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       255 

Henry  Alexander  Scammell  Dearborn  was 
born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  March  3,  1783. 
and  died  in  Portland,  Maine,  July  29,  1851.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati  in  1832,  and  was  president  of  the 
General  Society,  1848-51.  I  saw  him  often  in 
public  offices  and  situations,  especially  in  military 
capacities,  and  was  struck  with  his  finely  propor- 
tioned figure,  his  manly  and  intelligent  face,  his 
martial  bearing  when  on  parade,  and  his  dignified 
and  courteous  manner  in  society.  I  was  for  Several 
years  associated  with  him  as  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  of  which  he 
was  at  one  time  president.  We  have  a  fine  por- 
trait of  him,  taken  while  in  that  office,  hanging  on 
the  walls  of  our  Horticultural  Hall. 

He  was  active  among  the  original  founders  of 
the  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery,  \vith  which  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  is  closely 
connected. 

He  graduated  at  ^Villiam  &  Mary  College  in 
1803 ;  studied  law  with  William  Wirt  and  after- 
ward with  Judge  Story.  He  was  collector  of  the 
port  of  Boston  1813-29  ;  commanded  the  troops 
in  Boston  Harbor  in  1812,  and  was  brigadier- 
general  of  the  Massachusetts  Militia  in  1814.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Constitutional 
Convention  in  1820  ;  representative  in  the  legis- 
lature from  Roxbury  in  1830  ;  member  of  Congress 
1831-33  ;  adjutant-general  of  Massachusetts  1834 
-43,  and  mayor  of  Roxbury   1847-51.     He  was 


256  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

active  in  originating  and  founding  the  Bunker  Hill 
Monument  Association ;  in  completing  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel,  and  inaugurating  the  Forest  Hills  Ceme- 
tery. He  wrote  many  books :  "  Commerce  and 
Navigation  of  the  Black  Sea  "  in  1819  ;  "  Letters  on 
the  Internal  Improvement  and  Commerce  of  the 
West "  in  1839,  and  the  "  Life  of  the  Apostle 
Eliot."  He  left  unpublished  materials  for  several 
volumes,  among  them  a  "History  of  Bunker 
Hill  Battle,"  lives  of  Colonel  William  Raymond 
Lee,  Commodore  Bainbridge,  and  his  father, 
General  Henry  Dearborn. 

He  was  very  popular  in  society.  His  house  was 
the  abode  of  hospitality.  Every  important  enter- 
prise, public  or  private,  received  his  encourage- 
ment and  aid.  He  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  the  American  An- 
tiquarian Society,  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
New  England  Historic  Genealogical  Society,  and 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science.  His  surpassing  industry  is  shown  in  the 
fact  that,  in  addition  to  the  above-named  works, 
he  left  unpublished  a  Diary,  in  forty-five  volumes ; 
"  Grecian  Architecture,"  two  volumes  folio;  a  vol- 
ume on  Flowers,  with  drawings,  and  a  "  Harmony 
of  the  Life  of  Christ,"  eight  volumes. 

William  Hull  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut, 
June  24,  1753.  He  was  an  original  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He  graduated  at  Yale 
College,  with  honor  in  1772,  and  was  admitted  to 


REVOLUTIONARY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       257 

the  bar  in  1775-     In  April  of  that  year  he  was 
made  captain  of  a  company,  and  marched  with  Col- 
onel Webb's  Kegiment  to  Cambridge.     This  regi- 
ment was  in  the  battles  of  Brooklyn   and  White 
Plains.    In  December,  1776,  at  the  engagement  of 
Trenton,  Captain  Hull  acted  as  field-officer  of  his 
regiment.     July  1, 1777,  he  was  made  major  in  the 
Eighth  Massachusetts  Regiment ;  and   before  the 
battle  of  Princeton  he  rendered  important  service 
to  Washington.     In  April,  1777,  he  marched  with 
three  hundred  men  to  Ticonderoga  ;  and  on  the  re- 
treat to  the  Hudson  River,  Major  Hull  received  the 
thanks  of  General  Schuyler.    He  took  part  in  the 
capture  of  Burgoyne,  October,  1777,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Monmouth  in  1778.     After  valuable  ser- 
vices  he    was  promoted   to   be  lieutenant-colonel, 
August  12,  1779.     About  this  time  the  appoint- 
ment of  aide  to  General  Washington  was  offered 
to  Colonel  Hull,  but  circumstances  prevented  its 
acceptance.     In  January  1781,  for  his  gallant  con- 
duct of  a  force  against  the  British  at  Morrisania, 
he  received  the  thanks  of  Washington  and  of  Con- 
gress.    He  was  complimented  by  the  Commander- 
in-chief,  when  he  escorted  him  with  his  troops  into 
New  York  on   the  evacuation  of  that  place  by  the 
British.     When,  December  4,  1783,    Washington 
took  leave  of  his  officers  in  New  York  and  dis- 
banded   the  army,  excepting  one    regiment,  Col- 
onel Hull    was    selected  by   him   for  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  that  regiment. 

When  General   Hull  returned  to  Boston  he  was 

17 


258  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

made  successively  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas,  major-general  of  the  Third  Division  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Militia,  and  senator  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. In  1805  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Jefferson,  governor  of  Michigan  Territory.  In 
1812  he  reluctantly  accepted  the  command  of  a 
military  force  to  protect  the  northern  frontier 
against  the  Indians.  Subsequently  he  had  com- 
mand as  major-general  in  defending  that  region 
against  the  British  troops,  who  were  under  the 
lead  of  General  Brock ;  and,  apprehending  an 
assault  from  him  on  Detroit, — where  General  Hull 
then  was  with  his  forces, — the  latter,  fearing  the 
total  destruction  of  his  own  army,  as  well  as  of  that 
town,  which  contained,  as  a  fort,  a  large  gathering 
of  helpless  women  and  children,  surrendered  it  to 
the  enemy. 

On  account  of  this  surrender  General  Hull 
was  charged,  by  a  court-martial,  in  1814,  with 
neglect  of  duty,  cowardice,  and  other  offences, 
and  was  tried  and  condemned  to  death.  But 
after  sentence  had  been  passed  on  him,  President 
Madison  declined  to  execute  it.  Public  opinion, 
at  first  strongly  against  General  Hull,  was,  on 
investigation,  greatly  changed  ;  and  in  1825  a  pub-, 
lie  dinner  was  given  him,  at  which  the  leading  men 
of  Boston  expressed  their  sympathy  and  respect 
for  him.  I  believe  posterity  will  render  that  jus- 
tice to  him  which  a  train  of  unhappy  circumstances 
had  led  many  to  deny  him.  We  should  be  slow 
to   give    credence   to    charges   of  cowardice   and 


KEVOLUTiONAKY  MEN  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812.       259 


treason  against  a  man  who  during  his  Revolution- 
ary services  received  the  thanks  of  Washington 
and  of  Congress,  and  had  the  approbation  of  his 
superior  officers,  and  whose  courage  and  patriot- 
ism at  that  Time  were  never  doubted.  Although, 
when  deprived  of  the  auxiliary  forces  he  had  just 
reason  to  expect,  he  surrendered  his  military  posi- 
tion at  Detroit,  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  this 
was  not  a  wiser  and  more  humane  course,  than  to 
incur  the  risk  of  sacrificing  his  army  and  the  town 
in  those  desperate  circumstances.  He  avowed  to 
the  last  his  sense  of  right-doing  in  that  act,  and 
he  was  sustained  also  bv  many  testimonials,  both 
public  and  private,  in  his  declining  years. 

From  1786  his  home  was  on  his  farm  in  Newton, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  died  peacefully,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1825,  at  the  age  of  seventv-two  vears. 


THE    WASHINGTON    ELM. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

OLIVEK   HAZARD   PERRY. 

Christopher  Raymond  Perry  was  born  at  South 
Kingston,  Rhode  Island,  in  1761,  and  died  June  1, 
1818.  He  was  in  the  service,  both  military  and 
naval,  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  While  in 
the  navy  his  frigate  was  captured  by  the  British, 
and  he  suffered  for  three  months  untold  horrors 
in  the  famous  Jersey  prison-ship.  In  1783,  after 
peace  was  declared,  he  was  appointed  collector  in 
a  district  of  Rhode  Island. 

In  October,  1784,  he  married  Sarah  Alexander, 
a  reputed  descendant  of  Wallace  of  Scotland. 
They  had  a  son,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  born  in 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  August  25,  1785.  After 
his  victory  in  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  he  was 
chosen  an  honorary  member  of  the  New  York 
Cincinnati  Society,  October  21,   1813. 

He  inherited  from  his  mother  an  amiable 
disposition,  joined  with  courage  and  commanding 
qualities  of  character.  Like  her  he  possessed  a 
warm  temper,  but  kept  it  under  admirable  control. 
While  at  school  he  manifested  a  strong  mind, 
which  he  earnestly  cultivated.  He  gave  early 
promise  of  his  future  distinction.     In  1799,  when 


OLIVER   HAZARD    PERRY.  261 

only  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  entered   the  navy 
as  a  midshipman,  and  was  in  active  service  under 
his  father  in  the  frigate  "  General  Greene/'  in  her 
cruise  on  the  West  India  station  in  1799  and  1800. 
In  1807  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
and  in  1809  was  in  command  of  the  schooner  "  Re- 
venge,"  and  cruised   on  the  coast  of  the  United 
States  until  January  1811,  when  his  vessel,  with- 
out his  fault,  was  wrecked.     When  the  War  of  1812 
opened  he,  at  his   own  request,  was  placed  on  the 
lakes,  under  the   command   of  Commodore  Isaac 
Chauncey.     He  was  soon  called  to  aid  an  attack  on 
Fort  George,  in  which  he  acquired  great  credit.    In 
August,  1813,  in  the  momentary  absence  of  a  Brit- 
ish squadron  then  watching  him,  he  employed  the 
force,  which  he  had  equipped,  to  lift  his  larger  ves- 
sels on  "  camels,"  and  took  them  out  of  port ;  and 
although  deficient  in  officers  and  men,  and  poorly 
prepared,  he  brought  the  British  squadron   to  an 
engagement,   with   complete  success   on   his   side. 
After  co-operating  with  General  Harrison  in  re- 
gaining  possession    of   Detroit   and    transporting 
troops,  and  taking  part  in  another  battle,  at  the 
close   of  the  campaign  of   1813   he    resigned    his 
command.     Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal,  and 
he  was,  dating  from  September  10,  1813,  appointed 
to  the  "  Java,"  and  promoted   in  the   service.     In 
1814  he  was   employed  in  annoying   the  British 
squadron  which  sailed  up  the  Potomac  to  destroy 
the  public  buildings  at  Washington,  and  was  sta- 
tioned in  the  defence  of  Baltimore.     March,  1819, 


262  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

he  sailed,  in  command  of  a  squadron,  for  the  coast 
of  Columbia. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1813,  he  received  from 
Commodore  Chauncey  the  following  compliment : 
"  You  are  the  very  person  that  I  want  for  a  par- 
ticular service,  in  which  you  may  gain  reputation 
for  yourself  and  honor  for  your  country."  This 
service  was  the  command  of  a  naval  force  to  be 
created  on  Lake  Erie.  Secretary  Rogers  wrote 
to  him :  "  You  will  doubtless  command  in  chief. 
Mr.  Hamilton  mentioned  this  to  me  two  months 
past ;  you  may  expect  some  warm  fighting  and, 
of  course,  a  portion  of  honor." 

The  world  knows  the  result  of  this  appointment. 
The  battle  on  Lake  Erie  reads,  in  its  details,  like  a 
romance.  The  prospect  of  a  conflict  between  the 
American  squadron  with  only  fifty-four  guns,  and 
the  British  squadron  under  Commodore  Barclay, 
with  sixty-three  guns,  might  have  intimidated  a 
man  of  less  bravery  than  Perry ;  but  he  was  of 
that  stern  purpose  that,  conscious  of  the  right, 
does  not  quaii  before  numbers.  The  battle  on 
Lake  Erie,  September  10,  1813,  opened  at  fifteen 
minutes  before  noon,  and  after  two  hours  and 
three  quarters  the  order  was  given  to  "  close  ac- 
tion." Perry,  having  quitted  his  ship,  the  "  Law- 
rence," in  an  open  boat,  for  another  ship,  the 
"Niagara,"  after  a  desperate  struggle,  at  three 
o'clock  compelled  Commodore  Barclay  to  strike 
his  flag ;  and  at  four  o'clock  the  American  hero 
wrote  to  General  Harrison,  then  in  command  of 
our  forces  at  the  North  :  — 


OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY.  263 

Dear  General:  —  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and 
they  are  ours. 

Yours  with  great  respect  and  esteem, 

O.  H.  Perry. 

At  the  same  hour  he  wrote  in  a  spirit 
of   religious    humility    to    the    Secretary   of   the 

Navy :  — 

SIR :  —  it  has  pleased  the  Almighty  to  give  to  the 
arms  of  the  United  States  a  signal  victory  over  their 
enemies  on  this  lake.  The  British  squadron,  consisting 
of  two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  one  sloop, 
have  this  moment  surrendered  to  the  force  under  my 
command,  after  a  sharp  conflict. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

O.  H.  Perry. 

The  effects  of  this  victory  were  instant  and  far- 
reaching.  It  created  an  unbounded  enthusiasm, 
which  found  expression  in  many  forms,  and  among 
all  classes  of  people.  Who  that  lived  in  those  days 
can  forget  that  when,  in  the  spring  of  1814,  Com- 
modore Perry  visited  the  theatre  in  Boston,  the 
stage  exhibited  the  inspiring  motto :  "  The  Hero 
of  the  Lake,  on  the  glorious  10th  of  September, 
1813."  The  man  who  had  seen  but  twenty- 
eight  years,  on  the  day  of  this  world-renowned 
victory,  was  greeted  with  the  applause  seldom 
won  except  by  veterans  on  seas  or  fields.  Ameri- 
can poetry  celebrated  its  triumph  in  strains  which 
stirred  the  hearts  of  old   and  young.     I   recall   a 


264  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

few  lines  of  one  of  these  effusions,  which  we  boys 
of  the  day  repeated  through  the  streets  with  the 
utmost  glee.  Its  wit  turns  upon  the  fact  that 
perry  was  the  name  of  a  beverage  then  in  com- 
mon use,  made  from  pears,  as  cider  is  from  apples. 

Before   the   Battle. 

Bold  Barclay  one  day 

To  Proctor  did  say  : 
"  I'm  tired  of  Jamaica  and  Sherry, 

So  let  us  go  down 

To  that  new  floating  town. 
And  get  some  American  Perry. 

Pleasant  American  Perry,  — 

Sparkling  American  Perry." 

After  the   Battle. 
"  0  cursed  American  Perry." 

This  splendid  achievement  gave  courage  to  a 
desponding  people,  and  led  to  the  overthrow  of 
British  power  in  the  great  Northwestern  territory 
of  the  United  States.  It  animated  the  whole  coun- 
try until  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  name  of  the  youthful  hero,  then  but 
twenty-eight  years  old,  was  on  all  lips.  It  was  em- 
blazoned in  the  journals  of  the  day,  repeated  with 
enthusiasm  in  the  streets,  placed  on  the  signs  of 
taverns,  and  given  to  halls  and  other  buildings, 
public  and  private.  It  was  worn  as  a  badge  by 
both  sexes,  and  placed  on  articles  of  household 
use.  I  have  before  me  a  snuffbox,  probably  some 
seventy   years    old,    bearing    on   one  side   a  well 


OLIVER    HAZARD    PERRY.  265 

executed  representation  of  the  battle,  with  its 
ships,  and  the  Commodore  passing,  in  the  heat  of 
the  contest,  in  an  open  boat,  from  one  vessel  to 
another.  Underneath  is  the  inscription,  not  ele- 
gant but  expressing  the  spirit  of  the  times :  — 

VICTORY  OF  THE  LAKE  ERIE. 

Reported  by  the  American  over  the  English  the  10th 
of  September  1813.  The  Commodore  Perry  fights 
alone  with  his  ship  all  the  Enemy's  squadron  com- 
manded by  the  English  Commodore  Barclay,  all  to  be 
reduced  to  be  nothing  more  than  carcasses  —  then  he 
goes  on  board  the  Niagara,  continues  the  battle,  ended 
by  the  total  destruction  of  the  English  division. 

Nota  The  English  General  Barclay,  was  tried  on  ac- 
count of  the  defeat. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  snuffbox  is  a  likeness 
of  Commodore  Perry.  I  have  seen  many  pictures 
of  the  Commodore,  but  this,  I  think,  not  excepting 
the  portrait  of  him  by  Stuart,  is  perhaps  the  most 
striking  of  them  all.  It  corresponds  to  his  youth- 
ful age.  The  head  is  large  and  well  proportioned  ; 
the  eyes  full  and  expressing  intellect  and  energy  ; 
the  nose  inclined  to  a  Roman  shape  ;  the  mouth 
with  a  clear  Cupid's  bow,  firm,  yet  amiable  ;  and 
the  chin  marked  by  decision  and  self-control.  The 
family  speak  of  him  as  a  handsome  man.  His 
face  has  nothing,  however,  feminine  in  its  form  or 
expression  ;  it  is  manly,  determined,  remarkable 
for  its  intelligence,  and  indicates  a  man  as  great  in 
action  as  he  was  noble  in  thought  and  pure  in 
heart. 


266  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

The  Commodore  had  a  son  named  Oliver  II. 
Perry,  Jr.,  who,  a  boy  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  himself  afterward  entered  the  navy.  He 
eventually  left  it  for  mercantile  pursuits.  Com- 
modore Perry  had  five  children,  one  of  whom 
married  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Vinton  of  New  York 
City. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  present,  July  4, 
1838,  at  a  celebration  on  Lake  Erie,  on  the  very 
scene,  it  was  said,  of  the  battle.  A  bright  day 
and  a  fine  oration,  with  stirring  music,  filled  all 
present  with  patriotic  memories  of  the  great  vic- 
tory achieved  on  that  spot. 

In  1860,  September  10,  the  inauguration  of  a 
marble  statue  by  William  Walcutt,  to  the  memory 
of  Commodore  Oliver  H.  Perry,  took  place  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  when  Hon.  George  Bancroft  gave 
an  oration.  An  address  was  given  by  Usher  Par- 
sons, M.  D.,  surgeon  at  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie ; 
and  others  followed,  among  whom  was  Oliver 
Hazard  Perry  of  Andover,  Massachusetts,  the  only 
surviving  son  of  Commodore  Perry.  Hosea  Sar- 
gent, who  helped  fire  the  last  gun  of  the  battle, 
and  bore  the  flag  of  the  "  Lawrence  "  to  the  Com- 
modore in  his  boat  as  he  took  command  of  the 
"  Niagara,"  was  present.  Thomas  Brownell,  pilot 
of  the  "Ariel"  on  that  clay,  was  also  present. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  town  of  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  the  native  place  of  Commo- 
dore Perry,  presented  him  with  a  vase  eighteen 
inches  high,  of  solid  silver  ;  it  has  on  its  sides  two 


OLIVER    HAZARD    PERKY.  267 

sketches  of  the  battle,  finely  engraved.  This  is 'in 
the  possession  of  his  grandson,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry, 
who  has  also  a  sextant  which  the  British  com- 
mander, Commodore  Barclay,  presented  to  Com- 
modore Perry,  "  as  a  memento  of  his  regard," 
on  taking  leave  of  him  soon  after  the  day  of  the 
battle.  In  return  Commodore  Perry  forwarded 
to  Barclay,  some  months  after,  a  highly  finished 
American  rifle,  made  expressly  for  him  by  a  cele- 
brated gunsmith  of  Albany. 

The  following  testimonial  of  Surgeon  Parsons, 
on  the  character  of  Commodore  Perry,  is  invalua- 
ble :  "  Possessed  of  high-toned  moral  feeling,  he 
was  above  the  low  dissipation  and  sensuality  that 
many  officers  of  his  day  were  prone  to  indulge  in. 
His  conversation  was  remarkably  free  from  pro- 
fanity and  indelicacy,  and  in  his  domestic  character 
he  was  a  model  of  every  domestic  virtue  and  grace. 
Every  germ  of  merit  in  his  officers  was  sure  to  be 
discovered  and  encouraged  by  him.  .  .  .  Generous 
to  the  full  extent  of  his  means,  his  elegant  hospi- 
tality reflected  great  honor  on  our  navy."  He 
commends  also  his  mental  culture  and  habits  of 
"  patient  thought,"  and  the  perfect  order  and 
discipline  on  his  ships  and  among  his  officers  and 
men. 

Unhappily  the  invaluable  life  of  Commodore 
Perry  was  cut  short  in  its  prime.  He  died  at  Port 
Spain,  Island  of  Trinidad,  on  his  birthday,  August 
25, 1819,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years,  of  a  pain- 
ful disease,  surrounded  with  every  discomfort,  yet 


268 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


with  a  calmness  and  resignation  honorable  to  his 
character  and  worthy  of  his  renown. 


Matthew  Calbraith  Perry,  brother  of  the  pre- 
ceding, was  born  in  South  Kingston  in  1795,  and 
died  in  New  York  City,  March  4,  1858.  He  was 
chosen  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society  of  the 
Cincinnati  on  the  same  day  with  his  brother.  This 
was  an  honor  well  merited  by  his  distinction  in  the 
United  States  Navy,  from  the  day  when  he  entered 
the  service  as  midshipman,  and  served  under  Com- 
modores Rodgers  and  Decatur,  to  his  crowning 
work,  beginning  March  2,  1852,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  Japan  expedition, 
which  opened  the  way  to  our  present  commerce 
with  that  country.  His  skill  and  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  perseverance  gave  him  a  signal  position 
in  our  naval  history. 


THE    HOLMES    HOUSE. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

PERSONAL   APPEARANCE  OF   REVOLUTIONARY 
OFFICERS. 

Although  it  is  not  always  safe  to  judge  of 
character  by  personal  appearance  and  impression, 
there  is  often  a  striking  correspondence  between 
the  two.  This  is  to  be  noticed  both  in  the  mili- 
tary and  naval  history  of  our  country.  In  turn- 
ing over  a  volume  prepared  to  exhibit  the  names, 
characters,  and  achievements  of  several  of  our 
American  military  officers,  I  was  impressed  by  the 
remarkable  personal  appearance  of  many  of  these 
men. 

The  frontispiece  of  that  volume  gives  us  the 
picture  of  Washington  so  often  presented,  yet  a 
subject  which  can  never  cease  to  interest.  Who 
ever  tires  of  looking  at  the  portrait  of  this  man  ? 
See  his  tall  and  well-proportioned  figure,  so  manly 
and  commanding  in  its  every  part.  Those  features 
—  grave,  dignified,  expressing  inward  vigor  (al- 
though in  complete  repose),  courage,  steadiness  of 
purpose,  and  perseverance  united  with  caution  — 
indicate  the  good  soldier  and  the  equally  good 
statesman,  wise,  calm,  but  replete  with  earnest- 
ness.    They  bring  before  us  an  individual,  in  some 


270  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

moods  all  thoughtfulness,  in  others  a  hero,  the  em- 
bodiment of  decision  and  intense  activity.  They 
express  candor,  sincerity,  and  simplicity,  joined 
with  kindness,  and  a  humanity  which  was  pained 
to  see  a  man  even  justly  punished,  and  was  in- 
tent on  relieving  the  sick  and  suffering.  They 
show  also  an  intellect  guided  by  the  highest  moral 
principle,  and  a  religious  faith  ever  looking  toward 
and  leaning  upon  the  divine  Providence.  The  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  Revolutionary  army  carried 
with  him  a  personal  air  and  manner  that  supple- 
mented the  influence  of  that  rare  wisdom  which 
gave  him  power  and  ascendancy  at  the  head  of 
the  nation,  alike  in  military  and  civil  affairs.  To 
see  him  while  he  lived  was  much  more  than  to 
hear  of  his  deeds  or  to  read  the  truest  description 
of  his  life  and  actions.  In  looking  on  that  noble 
figure,  and  resting  one's  eyes  on  that  grand  face, 
there  is  nothing  to  detract  from  his  fame,  but 
everything  to  enhance  it. 

Many  scenes  occurred,  both  in  the  military  and 
civil  experiences  of  Washington,  any  one  of  which 
furnishes  a  vivid  picture  of  his  personal  appear- 
ance, —  as  when  he  took  command  of  the  army  at 
Cambridge  ;  or  when,  with  three  thousand  men 
around  him,  crying  from  their  huts,  "No  pay,  no 
clothes,  no  provisions,"  he  was  overheard  in  his 
tent  at  Valley  Forge,  as  he  knelt  in  prayer  for 
divine  aid.  A  soldier,  knowing  this,  said  :  "  If  the 
Lord  will  listen  to  any  one,  it  is  George  Wash- 
ington, and  our  independence  is  certain." 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       271 

In  1792  Trumbull  painted  a  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington, in  which  he  represented  his  appearance 
the  ni^ht  before  the  battle  of  Princeton.  "  We 
talked,"  says  Trumbull,  "  of  the  scene,  its  dangers, 
its  almost  desperation.  He  looked  the  scene  again, 
and  I  transferred  to  the  canvas  the  lofty  expres- 
sion of  his  animated  countenance,  the  high  re- 
solve to  conquer  or  to  perish."  This  was  a  pict- 
ure of  him  "  in  his  heroic,  military  character," 
and  it  exhibits  a  fire  and  resolution  in  his  face 
quite  in  contrast  with  his  usual  placidity,  and  es- 
pecially with  his  calm  dignity  during  his  subse- 
quent presidency. 

But  nothing  of  this  character  has  impressed  me 
like  the  following  vivid  portraiture  of  Washing- 
ton, drawn  by  one  who  heard  his  address  to  Con- 
gress after  he  was  elected  President  for  a  second 
term.  We  are  indebted  to  Mrs.  Kirkland  for  a 
graphic  description  of  this  scene,  which  she  quotes, 
in  the  words  of  one  living  when  she  wrote  it :  — 

I  was  but  a  schoolboy  at  the  time,  and  had  followed 
one  of  the  many  groups  of  people  who,  from  all  quar- 
ters, were  making  their  way  to  the  hall  in  Chestnut 
Street,  corner  of  Fifth,  Philadelphia, .  where  the  two 
houses  of  Congress  then  held  their  sittings,  and  where 
they  were  that  day  to  be  addressed  by  the  President, 
on  the  opening  of  his  second  term  of  office.  Boys  can 
often  manage  to  work  their  way  through  a  crowd  bet- 
ter than  men  can.  At  all  events,  it  so  happened  that  1 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  steps  of  the  hall,  from  which 
elevation,  looking  in  every  direction,  I  could  see  nothing 
but  human  heads  —  a  vast  fluctuating  sea,  swaying  to 


272  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

and  fro,  and  filling  every  accessible  place  which  com- 
manded even  a  distant  view  of  the  building.  They  had 
congregated,  not  with  the  hope  of  getting  into  the  hall, 
for  that  was  physically  impossible,  but  that  they  might 
see  Washington.  Many  an  anxious  look  was  cast  in 
the  direction  in  which  he  was  expected  to  come  ;  till  at 
length,  true  to  the  appointed  (hour  he  was  the  most 
punctual  of  men),  an  agitation  was  observable  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  crowd,  which  gradually  opened,  and 
gave  space  for  an  elegant  coach,  drawn  by  six  superb 
white  horses,  having  on  its  four  sides  beautiful  designs 
of  the  four  seasons.  ...  It  slowly  made  its  wa}^  till  it 
drew  up  immediately  in  front  of  the  hall. 

The  rush  was  now  tremendous  ;  but,  as  the  coach 
door  opened,  there  issued  from  it  two  gentlemen,  with 
long  white  wands,  who  with  some  difficulty  parted  the 
people,  so  as  to  open  a  passage  from  the  carriage  to  the 
steps,  on  which  the  fortunate  schoolboy  had  achieved  a 
footing,  and  whence  the  whole  proceeding  could  be  dis- 
tinctly seen.  As  the  President  emerged  from  the  car- 
riage, a  univeral  shout  rent  the  air,  and  continued,  as 
he  very  deliberately  ascended  the  steps.  On  reaching 
the  platform  he  paused,  looking  back  on  the  carriage, 
thus  affording  to  the  anxiety  of  the  people  the  in- 
dulgence they  desired,  of  feasting  their  eyes  upon  his 
person. 

Never  did  a  more  majestic  personage  present  him- 
self to  the  public  gaze.  He  was  within  two  feet  of  me  ; 
I  could  have  touched  his  clothes,  but  I  should  as  soon 
have  thought  of  touching  an  electric  battery.  Boy  as 
I  was,  I  felt  as  in  the  presence  of  a  divinity.  As  he 
turned  to  enter  the  hall  the  gentlemen  with  the  white 
wands  preceded  him  and,  with  still  greater  difficulty  than 
before,  repressed  the  people  and  cleared  a  way  to  the 
great  staircase.     As  he  ascended  I  ascended  with    him, 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       273 

step  by  step,  creeping  close  to  the  wall,  and  almost 
hidden  by  the  skirts  of  his  coat.  Nobody  looked  at  me, 
everybody  was  looking  at  him  ;  and  thus  I  was  per- 
mitted, unnoticed,  to  glide  along,  and  happily  to  make 
my  way  (where  so  many  were  vainly  longing  and 
struggling  to  enter)  into  the  lobby  of  the  chamber  of 
the  House  of  Representatives.  Once  in,  I  was  safe  ; 
for  had  I  even  been  seen  by  the  officers  in  attendance, 
it  would  have  been  impossible  to  get  me  out  again.  I 
saw  near  me  a  large  pyramidal  stove  which,  fortunately, 
had  but  little  fire  in  it ;  and  on  which  I  forthwith  clam- 
bered, until  I  had  attained  a  secure  perch  from  which 
every  part  of  the  hall  could  be  deliberately  and  distinct- 
ly surveyed.     Depend  upon  it,  I  made  use  of  my  eyes. 

On  either  side  of  the  broad  aisle  that  was  left  vacant 
in  the  centre  were  assembled  the  two  houses  of  Con- 
gress. As  the  President  entered,  all  rose,  and  remained 
standing  till  he  had  ascended  the  steps  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  chamber,  and  taken  his  seat  in  the  Speaker's 
chair.  It  was  an  impressive  moment.  Notwithstanding 
that  the  spacious  apartment,  floor,  lobby,  and  gallery, 
were  full,  not  a  sound  was  heard ;  the  silence  of  ex- 
pectation was  unbroken  and  profound;  every  breath 
seemed  suspended.  He  was  dressed  in  a  full  suit  of  the 
richest  black  velvet ;  his  lower  limbs  in  short  clothes, 
with  black  silk  stockings.  His  shoes,  which  were  bright- 
ly japanned,  were  surmounted  with  large  square  silver 
buckles.  His  hair,  carefully  displayed  in  the  manner  of 
the  day,  was  richly  powdered,  and  gathered  behind 
into  a  black  silk  bag,  on  which  was  a  bow  of  black 
ribbon.  In  his  hand  he  carried  a  plain  cocked  hat,  de- 
corated with  the  American  cockade.  He  wore  by  his 
side  a  light,  slender  dress-sword,  in  a  green  scabbard, 
with  a  highly  ornamented  hilt.  His  gait  was  deliberate, 
his  manners  solemn  but  self-possessed;  and  he  presented, 

18 


274  REMINISCENCES    AND    xMEMORIALS. 

altogether,  the  most  august  human  figure  I  had  then,  or 
have  since,  beheld. 

At  the  head  of  the  Senate  stood  Thomas  Jefferson, 
in  a  blue  coat,  single-breasted,  with  large  bright  basket 
buttons,  his  vest  and  small  clothes  of  crimson.  I  re- 
member being  struck  with  his  bright  eye  and  foxy  hair, 
as  well  as  by  his  tall  form  and  square  shoulders.  A 
perfect  contrast  was  presented  by  the  pale,  reflective 
face  and  delicate  figure  of  James  Madison.  In  the  semi- 
circle which  was  formed  behind  the  chair,  and  on  either 
hand  of  the  President,  my  boyish  gaze  was  attracted  by 
the  splendid  attire  of  the  Chevalier  D'Ynigo,  the  Span- 
ish ambassador,  then  the  only  foreign  minister  near  our 
infant  government.  His  glittering  star,  his  silk  chapeau 
bras,  edged  with  ostrich  feathers,  his  foreign  air  and 
courtly  bearing,  contrasted  strongty  with  those  nobility 
of  nature's  forming  who  stood  around  him.  It  was  a 
very  fair  representation  of  the  Old  World  and  the  New. 

Having  retained  his  seat  for  a  few  moments,  while 
the  members  resumed  their  seats,  the  President  rose 
and,  taking  from  his  breast  a  roll  of  paper,  proceeded  to 
read  his  address.  His  voice  was  full  and  sonorous,  deep 
and  rich  in  tones,  free  from  that  trumpet  ring  which 
it  could  assume  amid  the  tumult  of  battle  (and  which 
is  said  to  have  been  distinctly  heard  above  all  its  roar), 
but  sufficiently  loud  and  clear  to  fill  the  chamber  and 
be  heard  with  perfect  ease  in  its  most  remote  recesses. 
The  address  was  of  considerable  length  ;  its  topics,  of 
course,  I  forget,  for  I  was  too  young  to  understand  them. 
I  only  remember,  in  its  latter  part,  some  reference  to 
claims  or  disputes  on  the  part  of  the  Indian  tribes.  He 
read  everything  with  a  singular  serenity  and  composure, 
with  manly  ease  and  dignity,  but  without  the  smallest 
attempt  at  display. 

Having    concluded,   he  laid    the   manuscript  on   the 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       275 

table  before  him  and  resumed  his  seat ;  when,  after  a 
slight  pause,  he  rose  and  withdrew,  the  members  rising 
and  remaining  on  their  feet  until  he  had  left  the 
chamber. 

Most  impressive  must  have  been  that  scene 
when,  in  November  18,  1783,  the  British  army 
retired  at  one  point  in  New  York  City,  and  the 
American  army  entered  it  at  another.  Washing- 
ton is  on  horseback  at  the  head  of  the  American 
procession.  Through  these  streets  he  has  often 
ridden  in  his  state  carriage,  drawn  by  six  horses, 
in  which  he  journeyed  afterward  through  New 
England.  And  here  too,  when  the  long  agony  is 
at  last  over,  a  few  days  later,  he  takes  a  final  leave 
of  his  officers,  and,  from  the  barge  in  which  he 
is  crossing  the  water  on  his  way  homeward,  turns 
to  his  countless  friends,  as  they  stand  on  the 
shore,  and  waves  his  military  hat  and  bids  them 
a  silent  farewell. 

The  personal  power  of  their  leader  is  seen  as 
we  look  upon  the  delineated  forms  and  features  of 
the  distinguished  circle  of  heroes  on  the  field,  or 
of  sages  in  the  cabinet,  which  Washington  gath- 
ered around  him.  No  one  who  had  seen  the  men 
whom  he  received  to  his  confidence  in  the  army  — 
such  as  Henry  Knox,  for  example,  of  so  command- 
ing a  figure,  and  whose  every  feature  bespoke  the 
brave,  the  generous,  the  patriotic,  the  faithful,  and 
true  man  —  could  question  their  being  entitled  to 
their  position.  Look  at  the  early  portrait  of 
Lafayette, —  second  only,  if  not  first,  in  the  esteem 


276  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

of  Washington,  —  how  full  it  is  of  the  noble  ex- 
pression seen  on  that  day  when,  at  less  than 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  presented  himself  to  his 
chief,  to  be  ever  after  a  bosom  friend.  When  I 
saw  him  on  his  visit  to  this  country  in  1824  — 
after  the  weight  of  age  had  come  upon  him,  and 
marks  were  manifest  of  the  untold  sufferings  he 
had  experienced  in  the  dreary  prisons  of  Olmutz 
and  Magdeburg,  in  the  hardships  of  war  in  our 
own  country,  and  amid  the  anxieties  and  reponsi- 
bilities  of  that  terrible  Revolution  in  his  own  — 
1  recalled  vividly  what  a  price  he  had  paid  that 
we  might  be  free,  and  none  the  less  when  I  saw 
that  his  bowed  form  still  carried  much  of  its  pris- 
tine dignity,  and  the  massive  face,  especially  the 
eye,  lighted  up  with  its  "wonted  fires"  as  he 
spoke.  We  who  then  saw  him  thought  of  his  sac- 
rifices wellnigh  to  death  for  our  sakes,  and  when 
we  heard  from  his  own  lips  words  of  love  to  his 
old  companions  in  arms,  our  hearts  burned  with- 
in us,  and  we  felt  a  warmth  toward  him  which  the 
cold  page  of  history  had  never  kindled. 

And  so  it  is,  in  a  lower  degree,  as  we  to-day  look 
on  the  portraits  of  those  men  who  braved  such 
dangers  and  suffered  such  pains,  that  our  country 
might  be  born  into  freedom  and  independence. 
Baron  von  Steuben's  portrait  —  by  that  strongly 
marked  face  and  head,  both  of  the  Roman  stamp, 
with  eyes  large,  bright,  and  attractive,  a  nose  firm, 
and  a  mouth  combining  great  beauty  with  a  frank 
and    noble    energy    of  purpose  —  reinforces  our 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       277 

previous  estimate  of  the  great  work  he  did  for 
us,  more  especially  in  maturing  and  perfecting 
the  discipline  of  our  ill  arranged  troops.  John 
Brooks,  who  more  than  once  received  the  person- 
al commendation  of  Washington  for  his  courage 
and  good  judgment  in  the  field,  bore  in  his  per- 
sonal appearance  tokens  of  that  manly  power  he 
everywhere  exhibited.  General  Marion  shows  in 
his  face  a  combination  of  Northern  energy  with 
Southern —  I  might  almost  say — fascination  ;  and 
we  see  united  in  his  picture,  with  manly  beauty 
and  sweetness  of  character,  a  strength  of  purpose, 
good  judgment,  and  perseverance  in  action,  that 
makes  us  believe  he  richly  deserved  the  testimony 
of  the  commander-in-chief  that,  at  Eutaw  Springs 
he  "  conducted  his  troops  with  great  gallantry  and 
good  conduct,"  and,  with  two  others  to  co-operate, 
achieved  a  renowned  victory. 

I  have  spoken  of  Eustis  at  the  time  he  held  the 
office  of  governor.  He  was  then  about  seventy 
years  old,  but  there  were  still  left  traces  of  his 
early  personal  appearance.  On  looking  at  his 
portrait,  painted  in  his  prime,  by  Stuart,  I  am 
struck  with  its  remarkable  attractiveness.  A  large 
expansion  of  brow,  indicating  strong  intellect,  a 
bright  eye,  Grecian  nose,  and  a  mouth  uniting 
firmness  with  benevolence,  all  form  a  head  and  a 
face,  that  bespeak  a  man  genial,  social,  refined, 
yet  not  wanting  in  self-reliance  and  energy.  We 
see  this  latter  trait  manifested  by  the  confidence 
he  inspired   in  the  officers  of  the  army,  being  of- 


278  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

fered  at  one  time  by  General  Knox  a  commission 
as  lieutenant  of  artillery,  although  his  desire  to  be 
perfected  in  medicine  led  him  to  decline  it,  and 
adhere  to  his  work  as  surgeon  in  the  army. 

The  name  of  John  Lillie  should  have  a  place 
here.  An  excellent  engraving  of  him,  by  F.  T. 
Stuart,  gives  us  a  face  in  which  Roman  dignity 
and  firmness  are  united  with  a  prepossessing  smile. 
The  arch  expression  of  the  eyes,  the  pleasant  yet 
intelligent  mouth,  the  well-set  chin,  all  give  evi- 
dence of  a  frankness  and  force  of  character  that 
one  does  not  easily  forget.  Born  in  Boston,  July 
18,  1753,  he  died  September  22,  1801.  Yet 
this  short  life  was  filled  with  services  to  his  coun- 
try. He  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant, 
May  1,  1775  ;  first  lieutenant  in  Knox's  Regiment 
of  artillery,  in  1776  ;  acting  captain  in  Crane's 
Regiment,  in  1777  ;  captain  in  1778  ;  aide-de-camp 
to  General  Knox,  May  1,  1782;  captain  of  the 
United  States  Artillery,  February  16,  1801,  and 
commandant  at  West  Point  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  An  unsought  certificate  was  given  him  by 
Washington,  December  1,  1783,  in  these  words: 
"  Whereas  Captain  John  Lillie  has  behaved  with 
great  propriety  during  his  military  services,  I 
have  therefore  thought  proper  to  grant  this  cer- 
tificate." After  enumerating  his  rapid  promotions 
and  many  offices,  Washington  adds  :  "  In  all  which 
several  stations  and  capacities  Captain  Lillie  has 
conducted  himself,  on  all  occasions,  with  dignity, 
bravery,  and    intelligence."     He    was    presented 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       279 

with  a  sword  by  Washington,  and  also  with  one 
by  Lafayette,  which  was  in  1873,  and  at  this  time 
doubtless  is,  in  the  possession  of  his  grandson, 
Hon.  Henry  L.  Pierce  of  Boston. 

I  select  another  Revolutionary  officer  who  se- 
cured the  marked  favor  of  Washington,  Captain 
Henry  Lee.  One  would  observe  the  face  of  this 
man  in  a  gallery,  among  hundreds  of  others,  as 
singularly  attractive.  The  features  are  all  nearly 
perfect, —  a  high  and  well  proportioned  forehead, 
surmounted  by  well  adjusted  hair,  clubbed  into 
a  queue  ;  the  eyes  clear  and  bright,  with  finely 
shaped  eyebrows,  a  classic  nose,  with  a  mouth  of 
the  rarest  benevolence,  and  a  chin  of  correspond- 
ing effect, — the  whole  figure  compact,  a  military 
coat,  the  lappels  at  least  a  hundred  years  old  in 
style,  the  ruffled  shirt-bosom,  the  official  epau- 
lettes, every  part  and  the  whole  together,  bespeak 
no  ordinary  man.  The  record  of  this  man  comes 
up  to  what  we  anticipate.  "  Captain  Lee,"  says 
a  contemporary  writer,  "who  has  for  some  time  past 
been  posted  at  Valley  Forge  with  his  troops,  has 
added  another  cubit  to  his  fame."  We  have  then 
an  account  of  his  great  skill  and  courage  at  a 
point  where  he  was  surprised  in  a  house  occupied 
only  by  himself  and  seven  other  persons,  by  a 
party  of  two  hundred  men,  whom  he  compelled 
"  disgracefully  to  retire,"  with  a  loss  of  two  killed 
and  four  wounded,  while  only  one  of  his  little 
band  was  injured.  For  this  exploit  he  received  the 
following  testimonial :    "  The  Commander-in-chief 


280  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

returns  his  earnest  thanks  to  Captain  Lee,  and  the 
officers  and  men  in  his  troop,  for  the  victory  which 
their  superior  bravery  and  address  gained  over  a 
party  of  the  enemy's  dragoons."  With  the  same 
adroitness,  August  20,  1779,  Captain,  now  Major 
Lee  made  an  attack  on  the  British  garrison  at 
Poule's  Hook.  The  preponderance  of  his  oppo- 
nent's force  was  such  that,  in  a  letter  to  Washing- 
ton, Lee  calls  his  men  "  the  forlorn  hope."  Yet  his 
success  was  complete.  He  speaks  of  the  "  patience 
of  his  troops  under  their  sufferings,"  and  their 
"  resolution  which  reflects  the  highest  honor  on 
them."  After  gaining  the  fort,  his  soldiers  re- 
frained from  plunder,  although  in  the  midst  of 
temptations.  "American  humanity,"  he  says,  "  has 
been  again  signally  manifested.  Self-preservation 
strongly  dictated,  in  the  retreat,  the  putting  the 
prisoners  to  death,  and  British  cruelty  fully  justi- 
fied it;  notwithstanding  which,  not  a  man  was 
wantonly  hurt."  This  noble  conduct  was  what 
one  would  have  anticipated  who  had  ever  looked 
on  a  likeness  of  Major  Lee.  His  high  character 
was  transfused  into  his  men  ;  his  honor  became  an 
inspiration  to  theirs. 

I  might  easily  fill  pages  with  records  of  this 
kind  which  would  confirm  the  claims  of  physiog- 
nomy in  the  brave  and  generous  men  of  the 
Revolutionary  War. 

These  remarks  apply  equally,  I  may  add,  to  the 
impression  made  upon  one's  mind  by  the  personal 
appearance    of   many    of  our    great   civilians    in 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       28] 

later  no  less  than  Revolutionary  periods.  I  once 
saw  in  the  United  States  Senate  a  cluster  of  men 
who  produced  this  effect.  Among  them  were 
Henry  Clay,  whose  tall  figure,  courageous,  unique, 
and  expressive  face  and  manner,  the  essence  of 
courtesy,  attracted  one  as  those  of  no  ordinary 
person  ;  Thomas  H.  Benton,  compact  in  frame, —  a 
Western  air  of  freedom  united  with  a  gait  and 
movement  as  solid  as  "  the  hard  money  "  which  in 
his  pet  measure  he  advocated ;  John  C.  Calhoun, 
slender,  stern,  with  an  intellectual  face,  and  an  eye 
one  did  not  care  to  meet,  —  so  determined,  so 
like  many  a  master's  as  he  gazes  on  his  slave. 

What  I  have  remarked  of  the  faces  of  such  men 
as  I  have  spoken  of  is  true,  in  a  degree,  of  other 
personal  indications  of  their  characters.  We  can 
see  something  of  this  even  in  their  handwriting. 
We  can  trace  indications  of  remarkable  traits  in 
many  men  of  distinction  even  in  their  penmanship. 
I  have  in  this  volume  repeatedly  spoken  of  the  rare 
eloquence  of  Edward  Everett.  As  one  saw  and 
heard  him  in  his  great  orations,  the  feeling  was 
strong  that  such  power  as  this  can  belong  only  to 
a  man  whose  genius  is  concentrated,  if  not  confined 
in  these  masterly  productions.  And  yet  look  at 
the  man  in  any  of  the  ordinary,  commonplace 
marks  of  character,  and  you  see  the  very  same  care 
for  completeness  and  perfection.  A  letter  of  his, 
when  president  of  Harvard  College,  calling  us  to 
a  committee  meeting,  would  be  written,  even  to 
the  punctuation,  as  exactly  as  if  he  were  only  sec- 


282  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

retary  of  the  board  instead  of  its  head.  He  had 
system  and  method  in  a  business  letter  as  in  a  fin- 
ished oration.  Look  at  a  little  note  of  his,  its  signa- 
ture, its  whole  contents.  It  equals,  in  these 
respects,  the  exactness  of  Washington. 

In  looking  over  twenty  pages  of  the  autographs 
of  members  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  I 
was  struck  with  them  as  illustrations  of  character. 
Begin  with  Washington  ;  his  clear  and  firm  auto- 
graph shows  what  the  man  was — upright,  judicious, 
calm,  self-possessed.  Here  is  a  person  whose  por- 
trait announces,  what  I  heard  a  neighbor  of  our 
family  often  say  of  some  wise  man,  that  "  he  is  one 
who  understands  himself;  "  when  the  hour  calls  for 
action,  how  steadily  and  smoothly,  yet  how  deter- 
minately  he  will  move  forward.  See  the  signature 
of  Henry  Knox,  fair,  like  his  face,  yet  downright, 
and  ponderous,  like  his  massive  frame.  Benjamin 
Lincoln's  hand  is  firm,  honest,  uniform.  John 
Brooks's  is  plain,  upright.  William  Eustis  has  a 
bad  pen,  but  here  is  perseverance.  Samuel  Adams 
writes  a  hand  firm,  upright,  and  clear.  See  the 
signature  of  John  Hancock  on  the  Declaration  of 
Independence, —  bold,  decided  ;  here  is  a  name  to 
be  read  by  all  men.  Franklin's  handwriting,  in 
mid-life,  was  clear,  firm,  even,  and  not  ungraceful. 
Jefferson's  signature  was  widespread  and  decided  ; 
although  in  a  letter  his  handwriting  was  often  dif- 
ferent, and  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  quite  nar- 
row, compact,  and  very  legible.  The  signature  of 
John  Adams  was  broad,  plain,  and  emphatic,  like 


APPEARANCE  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  OFFICERS.       283 

the  man.  His  son,  John  Quincy,  in  1832,  wrote  a 
set  hand,  quite  in  character,  very  readable,  but  by 
no  means  graceful.  Andrew  Jackson  penned  his 
name  with  the  energy  of  a  hero  and  the  decision 
of  an  autocrat.  Henry  Clay  writes  with  a  delicacy 
and  fine  penmanship  that  exhibit  courtesy  and 
great  powers  of  persuasion.  Reading  one  of  the 
letters  of  Josiah  Quincy  now  before  me,  I  find  it 
marked,  as  everything  from  his  head  or  heart  was, 
by  tokens  of  a  man  strong  both  in  intellect  and 
sensibilities.  Uprightness,  decision,  energy,  are 
in  this  autograph.  And  so  with  those  of  his  father, 
grandfather,  and  back  to  the  earliest  members  of 
this  family.  Here  is  a  noble  race,  who  write  down 
in  their  signatures,  as  they  do  by  their  lives  and 
actions,  the  record  of  their  honored  and  imperisha- 
ble work.  Note  the  penmanship  of  John  Parker, 
as  he  testifies  of  his  part  in  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton ;  it  is  bold,  emphatic,  steadfast,  like  the  man. 
Israel  Putnam's  hand  is  uncultured,  uneven, 
but  firm  and  strong.  Henry  Dearborn  writes  out 
in  every  letter  his  energy  and  persistence.  Stuart 
gave  life  to  those  who  sat  for  their  portraits.  So 
do  such  men  as  James  Otis,  Daniel  Webster,  Henry 
Knox,  utter  the  living  word  by  the  stroke  of  their 
pen.  See  the  autograph  of  Baron  Von  Steuben, 
not  graceful,  but  marked,  showing  a  man  of  action. 
Look  at  our  allies  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  : 
the  Count  de  Grasse  writes  his  name  with  the  en- 
ergy of  a  commander  ;  and  the  Count  de  Roch- 
ambeau  leaves  a  signature  expressing  modesty,  and 


284  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

yet  a  decision  that  in  a  good  cause  will  not  flinch 
or  falter  to  the  end.  Here  is  the  name  of  William 
Prescott,  commander  at  Bunker  Hill,  June  17, 
1775,  —  written  with  a  purpose,  a  plain  hand,  yet 
saying  in  action  as  well  as  plan,  "  I  will  do  my 
best."  John  Stark  signs  his  name  as  if  he  held  an 
iron  sceptre,  —  his  deed  as  sure  as  his  word. 

And  so  of  men  whose  qualities  we  dislike  or  ques- 
tion. Edmund  Andros  writes  his  name  as  if  saying 
inwardly,  "  I  fear  nothing  that  comes  in  my  way." 
These  penmarks  show  impatience,  imperiousness, 
one  equal  to  whatever  injustice  may  tempt  his  ac- 
tion. Benjamin  Church,  Jr.,  has  a  signature  vary- 
ing with  the  times,  smooth  and  plausible  to-day, 
bending  to  treason   to-morrow. 

I  might  fill  pages  with  these  tokens  of  charac- 
ter. The  growing  custom  is  good,  to  present  in 
books,  not  only  the  picture  of  the  face,  but  also 
the  signature  of  the  hand.  In  a  volume  of  his- 
tory or  biography,  as  the  printed  page  and  illus- 
tration should  show  us  the  fully  illuminated  face 
of  the  man,  so  his  method  of  writing  his  own  name 
is  needed  to  supplement  our  knowledge  of  his 
character,  by  the  lights  and  shades  it  will  often 
furnish  to  help  our  discoveries. 


NIX'S    MATE. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

ANDREW      JACKSON. 

Andrew  Jackson  deserves  notice  in  this  con- 
nection. He  was  the  last  president  of  the  United 
States  whose  birthday  preceded  the  opening  of 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  born  at  Wex- 
ham  Settlement,  South  Carolina,  March  15,  1767, 
and  died  June  8,  1845,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 
His  ancestors  were  Irish,  and  removed  to  Scotland. 
They  emigrated  to  this  country  in  1765,  and  were 
a  patriotic  and  disinterested  family. 

The  military  spirit  of  Jackson  displayed  itself  in 
his  early  boyhood.  At  less  than  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  joined  a  military  corps  to  defend  his 
native  State;  and  August  6,  1780,  he  was  in  the 
battle  of  Hanging  Rock,  South  Carolina.  In  1781 
he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British ;  and  when 
an  officer  ordered  him  to  clean  his  boots  he  re- 
fused, for  which  offence  he  received  from  the  offi- 
cer a  deep  wound,  that  remained  on  him  through 

life. 

At  various  periods  he  took  part  in  our  wars, 
against  the  Indians  in  Georgia  and  Alabama,  also 
against  the  Creoles,  and,  still  later,  against  the 


286  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Seminoles.  His  victory  in  the  War  of  1812,  at 
the  battle  against  British  troops  in  New  Orleans, 
January  8,  1815,  brought  him  prominently  before 
the  country,  and  opened  the  way  for  his  elevation 
to  the  presidency  in  1829. 

To  find  the  germ  of  the  democratic  principle 
which  led  to  Jackson's  success  we  must  go  back  to 
Jefferson.  It  may  be  traced  through  his  spirit  to 
the  close  of  the  administration  of  John  Adams.  We 
owe  much  to  the  high  tone  and  honorable  character 
of  the  old  Federal  party ;  but,  after  all,  that  party 
lacked  the  breadth  of  the  one  represented  by  Jef- 
ferson. With  all  his  errors  of  conduct,  his  main  idea 
was  correct,  and  he  expressed  the  will  of  the 
people  at  large  better  than  his  immediate  prede- 
cessor. But  in  Jackson  came  a  distinct  announce- 
ment from  the  presidential  chair  that  ours  is 
fundamentally  a  government  of  the  popular  will. 
He  boldly  advanced  the  idea,  since  embodied  by 
Abraham  Lincoln,  that  ours  is  "  a  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people."  In 
other  words,  that  in  every  office,  and  on  every 
occasion,  the  will  of  the  people  is  ultimately  "  the 
test  of  law,  equity,  and  right."  The  party  which 
elected  Andrew  Jackson  wrote  this  doctrine  on 
their  banners,  making  the  phrase  "  the  will  of  the 
people"  their  rallying-cry ;  and  by  it  his  adminis- 
tration secured  popularity,  ascendency  and  a  stable 
power.  Much  of  this  result  was  due  both  to  the 
nature  and  qualities,  and  the  experience  and  train- 
ing, of  the  man  at  the  head  of  the  government. 


ANDREW   JACKSON.  287 

Born  of  Scotch-Irish  parents,  Andrew  Jackson 
combined  in  his  character  the  warlike  spirit  of  the 
one  race  with  the  impulsiveness  of  the  other. 
These  traits  were  illustrated  by  him  when,  in  a 
military  capacity,  he  caused  two  British  soldiers  to 
be  hung,  —  hastily  and  rashly,  it  was  charged; 
but,  after  a  long  trial  for  what  was  alleged  in  this 
act  to  be  criminal,  Jackson  was  finally  acquitted. 
Known  as  a  brave  and  enduring  soldier,  he  passed 
through  life  under  the  title  of  Old  Hickory.  In 
public  his  manner  was  often  brusque,  and  his  lan- 
guage decided  and  sometimes  rough ;  yet  in  pri- 
vate he  was  usually  courteous,  and  was  said  to  be 
tender  in  his  domestic  relations. 

While  on  a  visit  at  Washington  in  1830,  during 
his  presidency,  I  had  an  interview  with  him  in  his 
special  room  at  the  White  House.  He  was  tall  in 
person,  erect  and  slender,  weighing,  as  I  judged, 
about  one  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds ;  his  head 
was  long  and  covered  with  bristling  hair  ;  he  had  a 
brow  well  arched,  projecting,  and  deeply  furrowed 
by  wrinkles ;  his  eyes  were  dark  blue,  clear  and 
commanding,  the  nose  prominent,  the  chin  firm, 
the  lips  compressed,  and  the  whole  face  signifying 
decision  and  force,  with  an  expression,  like  his 
language,  rapid  in  its  changes.  I  could  easily  be- 
lieve that,  with  his  excitable  temperament,  he 
would  use  words  not  always  reverent,  yet  proba- 
bly not  exceeding,  as  a  habit,  his  somewhat  fre- 
quent phrase,  "By  the  Eternal." 

In    his    conversation    at  my  visit  he  spoke   on 


288  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

several  topics, —  among  the  rest,  in  regard  to  the 
kindness  of  his  friends  in  presenting  him  a  variety 
of  pens,  some  of  which  he  exhibited.  "  I  have 
tried  this  and  that  one,  and  others,"  he  continued, 
'•  but  have  not  yet  found  just  what  I  want.  I  have 
so  many  grants  to  sign"  —  alluding  probably  to 
grants  for  the  sale  of  public  lands  —  "  that  I  use 
a  great  many  pens,  and  need  one  of  a  peculiar 
kind."  He  became,  as  he  went  on,  so  earnest  that 
the  fate  of  the  nation  almost  seemed  to  depend  on 
his  procuring  the  right  pen.  Meantime  his  very 
long  pipe  sent  forth  ever-increasing  volumes  of 
smoke  as  he  grew  more  eloquent. 

I  saw  him  again  early  in  the  summer  of  1833, 
when  he  made  a  tour  north  and  east,  as  far  as 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire.  He  was  received 
with  great  respect  at  all  points,  and  nowhere  with 
more  marked  attention  than  in  Boston,  although  a 
city  most  decidedly  opposed  to  him  and  his  policy. 
The  corporation  of  Harvard  College  at  this  visit 
held  a  special  meeting  to  confer  on  him  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  ;  and,  to  witness  the  deferen- 
tial manner  of  all  classes  of  the  people  toward 
him,  and  his  own  courtesy  and  serenity  joined 
with  official  dignity,  one  could  hardly  believe 
him  the  same  man  about  whom  such  intense  party 
indignation  had  been  within  a  short  period  ex- 
pressed, and  who  had  himself,  when  aroused, 
uttered  language  not  specially  measured  or 
mild. 

Jackson  —  you  could  not  look  on  him  without 


ANDREW   JACKSON.  289 

feeling  it  —  was  a  marked  man.  He  had  an  in- 
domitable will,  a  clear  insight  into  human  motives 
and  character,  a  rare  moral  and  physical  courage, 
and  his  decisions  were  apt  to  be  irreversible.  To 
those  whom  he  regarded  as  his  personal  or  politi- 
cal enemies,  he  was  open  in  opposition,  contradic- 
tion, censure,  and  combativeness  ;  but  to  his  known 
friends  his  gentleness,  kindness,  and  frank  and 
affable  manner  were  unfailing.  His  faults  lay 
largely  on  the  surface  of  his  character.  Preju- 
dice and  passion  were  strong  in  him,  but  time 
showed  him  at  heart  a  true  patriot  and  an  honest 
man. 

Whatever  there  may  be  to  pardon  in  the  per- 
sonal character  or  public  administration  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  we  are  to  remember  that  he  had  the 
confidence  of  Washington,  who  appointed  him  to 
the  office  of  United  States  District  Attorney  in 
the  year  1791  ;  and  however  some  of  us  may  say 
he  was  addicted  to  certain  faults,  errors,  and  per- 
versities, he  deserves  credit  for  many  good  acts 
in  his  public  conduct ;  and  we  may  never  forget 
that  on  the  28th  of  February,  1815,  the  legis- 
lature of  Massachusetts,  a  State  opposed  to  the 
war  in  which  he  had  achieved  his  victory  at  New 
Orleans  the  previous  month,  passed  a  vote  of 
thanks  for  his  heroism  on  that  occasion. 

The  country  owes  Jackson  much  for  the  stand 
he  took  in  1832,  when  South  Carolina  seemed  on 
the  brink  of  secession  on  account  of  the  tariff 
question.     When  told  in  private,  that  affairs  ap- 

19 


290  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

peared  very  threatening  in  South  Carolina,  he 
replied,  "  But,  by  the  Eternal,  things  shall  go  right 
there."  Although  in  his  proclamation  to  those 
deluded  people  he  used  language,  firm  and  de- 
cided, yet  parts  of  it  were  tender  and  even 
parental.  We  are  indebted  to  him  also  for  that 
victory  in  the  battle  at  New  Orleans,  in  which, 
with  only  three  thousand  militia,  he  vanquished 
fourteen  thousand  picked  British  troops. 

His  courage  never  faltered  in  the  path  of  dan- 
ger or  duty.  And  let  his  judgment  err,  as  it 
sometimes  did,  he  was  always  honest,  upright,  out- 
spoken, and  clear  in  conduct  and  motive.  "  He 
was  ambitious,"  do  you  say  ?  Passing  at  the 
period  referred  to,  in  review,  as  I  did  daily,  an 
array  of  remarkable  men  in  and  out  of  Congress, 
Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton,  Webster,  Van  Buren,  and 
others,  it  was  difficult  to  select  one  in  the  whole 
catalogue  whom  I  could  judge  less  personally  am- 
bitious or  more  sincerely  patriotic  than  Andrew 
Jackson.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Daniel  Webster 
that  in  those  exciting  days   that  great  statesman, 

—  amid  his  opposition  to  President  Jackson  in  the 
contest  on  the  United  States  Bank,  although  he 
believed  the  President  had  transcended  his  consti- 
tutional   powers,  —  and   so   voted,   as  a    Senator, 

—  through  all  the  contest  never  spoke  of  the  Presi- 
dent but  with  respect.  He  never  forgot  the  moral 
courage  and  the  patriotism  of  Jackson  in  his  noble 
appeal  to  South  Carolina,  when  by  his  proclama- 
tion in  1832,  he  stayed  the  impending  disloyalty 


ANDREW    JACKSON.  291 

and  menacing  secession  spirit  of  that  misled 
people. 

I  remember  the  fearful  excitement  at  the  North 
when  Jackson  ordered  the  removal  of  the  national 
deposits  from  the  banks  in  Boston  ;  and,  looking 
back,  I  could  name  grave,  sober  men  of  that  or- 
derly city,  and  some  of  them  of  high  social  and 
moral  standing,  who  talked,  in  the  frenzy  of  the 
time,  of  "  muskets  being  shouldered,  and  a  march 
to  Washington." 

And  yet,  after  the  old  hero  had  retired  from  the 
presidency,  most  of  us  were  ready  to  say,  "  to  err 
is  human,  to  forgive  divine."  And,  when  he  had 
passed  up  to  his  final  award,  the  fires  of  party 
spirit  went  down,  and  of  whatever  was  honest  and 
pure,  patriotic  and  self-sacrificing,  in  this  man  — 
and  it  was  no  small  sum  —  we  agreed  in  saying, 
"  That  will  endure  throughout  our  nation's  history." 
He  had  a  resolute  wellnigh  irresistible  will,  but 
it  was  usually  put  forth  on  the  side  of  right,  free- 
dom, and  the  Constitution.  It  was  in  no  selfish 
spirit  that  he  uttered  that  great  sentence,  the 
spirit  of  which  is  the  palladium  of  our  institutions, 
"  The  Union  must  and  shall  be  preserved."  If  he 
ever  seemed  to  stretch  his  authority,  it  was  com- 
monly an  excess  of  what  began  in  the  true 
direction. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   ANTISLAVERY  MOVEMENT. 

The  whole  American  people,  including  the 
Northern  States,  not  excepting  Massachusetts, 
where  the  Revolution  began  its  great  work,  was 
involved  in  the  custom  of  slaveholding.  An  an- 
cestor on  my  own  father's  side  was  implicated 
in  this  practice,  abhorrent  at  it  now  seems  to  us 
all. 

Down  to  the  opening  scene  of  blood  at  Lexing- 
ton, we  find  evidences  of  the  unblushing  traffic  in 
human  flesh.  Slaves  were  sold  and  bought  openly 
like  cattle  and  horses.     Witness  the  following :  — 

Billekica,  May  2,  1761. 

Know  all  men  by  these  presents,  that  I,  Hannah  Bowers, 
of  Billerica,  widow,  have  sold  unto  Lot  Colby,  of  Rum- 
ford,  in  the  province  of  New  Hampshire,  a  mulatto 
Negro  boy,  named  Salem,  and  have  received  forty-five 
shillings  sterling,  in  full  consideration  for  the  said  boy, 
witness  my  hand, 

Hannah  Bowers. 


-I 


,    Joseph  Walker, 
Josiah  Bowers. 


THE    ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT.  293 

Put  with  this  the  following  from  the  "Essex 
Journal"  (Newburyport)  March  2,  1774  :  — 

To  be  sold, 
A   HEALTHY   NEGRO   GIRL, 

ABOUT   TWENTY-THREE   YEARS   OLD,    BORN   IN   THIS   COUNTRY. 

Likewise 
A   SERVICEABLE    MARE, 

WHICH  GOES  WELL  IN  A  CARRIAGE.      ENQUIRE  OF  THE  PRINTER. 

But,  in  men  then  living,  a  new  view  of  human 
rights  was  soon  to  prevail. 

Henry  Ware,  —  born  April  1,  1764,  at  a  time 
when  the  American  colonies  were  deeply  agitated 
for  the  advance  of  national  freedom,  and  in  the 
twelfth  year  of  his  age  when  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton woke  a  continent  to  take  up  arms  for  liberty 
and  independence,  —  as  a  boy,  must  have  felt,  what 
the  man  afterward  so  clearly  exhibited,  a  strong 
interest  in  the  dawn  of  that  Revolution,  which  was 
destined  to  place  this  nation  in  the  front  rank  of 
free  countries. 

Filled  with  the  spirit  of  liberty,  Henry  Ware 
was,  early  and  late,  a  decided  advocate  of  equal 
rights  and  a  firm  emancipationist.  Wise,  calm, 
judicious  in  all  his  conduct,  he  carried  these  noble 
qualities  into  every  measure  he  favored,  and  every 
step   he   took  toward   the  abolition   of   American 


294  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

slavery.  In  1834,  being  a  professor  in  Harvard 
College,  he  joined  a  local  association  originated  for 
this  purpose.  At  that  time  the  Cambridge  Anti- 
slavery  Society  was  formed,  and  a  preamble  and 
constitution  were  adopted,  among  the  signatures 
to  which  Henry  Ware's  name  stands  first.  Its  ob- 
ject, purposes,  and  plans  —  which  afford-  a  fair 
illustration  of  the  spirit  then  prevalent  in  a  large 
section  of  the  North  on  the  antislavery  movement 
—  will  be  best  understood  by  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  its  records  :  — 

Preamble. 

We,  the  undersigned,  regard  the  system  of  Domestic 
Slavery  which  now  prevails  over  a  large  portion  of  the 
United  States,  as,  not  in  the  abstract  merely,  but  in 
practice,  an  evil  of  the  greatest  magnitude,  and  a  source 
of  incalculable  mischief. 

We  consider  slave  holding,  in  itself,  morally  wrong  ; 
though  we  would  not  impute  it  as  a  crime  to  those  who 
conscientiously  believe  themselves  not  justified  in  im- 
mediate emancipation. 

We  believe  that  the  emancipation  of  all  who  are  in 
bondage  is  the  requisition,  not  less  of  sound  policy 
than  of  justice  and  humanity  ;  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
those  with  whom  the  power  lies  at  once  to  remove  the 
sanction  of  the  law  from  the  principle  that  man  can  be 
the  property  of  man,  —  a  principle  inconsistent  with  the 
spirit  of  our  free  institutions,  subversive  of  the  pur- 
poses for  which  man  was  made,  and  utterly  at  variance 
with  the  plainest  dictates  of  reason  and  Christianity. 

Whereas  it  has  been  said  that  slavery  is  a  subject 
with  which  citizens  of  the  Non-slaveholding  States  have 


THE    ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT.  295 

no  concern,  we  feel  that  we  are,  equally  with  the  citi- 
zens of  the  Slaveholding  States,  responsible  for  its  exist- 
ence in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  in  some  of  the 
Territories  of  the  United  States,  and  that  it  is  our  duty 
to  exercise  our  constitutional  right  in  promoting  its 
abolition  in  the  said  District  and  Territories. 

We  think  that  we  are  also  called  upon  by  our  rela- 
tions to  the  citizens  of  the  Slaveholding  States,  as 
fellow-men  and  citizens  of  this  federal  republic,  to  en- 
deavor, by  appealing  to  their  reason  and  conscience,  and 
by  extending  to  them  every  aid  in  our  power,  to  induce 
them  to  abolish  slavery  in  their  respective  common- 
wealths ;  and  no  longer  to  withhold  from  the  colored 
population  the  fair  protection  of  the  laws,  and  the  inesti- 
mable blessings  of  religious  and  mental  education. 

There  appearing  to  us  to  be  no  means  by  which  pub- 
lic opinion  can  be  so  easily  influenced  upon  this  subject 
as  by  the  formation  of  associations  for  that  purpose,  we 
agree  to  unite  in  one,  which  shall  be  governed  by  the 
following 

Constitution. 

Article  I.  The  objects  of  this  society  shall  be,  by 
all  means  sanctioned  by  law,  humanity,  and  religion,  to 
promote  the  abolition  of  slavery  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  improve  the  character  and  condition  of  the 
free  people  of  color. 

Article  II.  The  society  shall  seek  to  obtain  and 
to  diffuse  accurate  information  as  to  the  real  character 
of  slavery  in  our  country,  as  to  the  character  and  condi- 
tion of  the  people  of  color,  bond  and  free,  and  as  to 
the  best  modes  of  emancipation,  as  taught  by  reason 
and  experience ;  to  promote  the  establishment  of  better 
schools  for  the  free  people  of  color  than  those  to  which 


296  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

they  now  find  access,  and  to  aid  their  efforts  at  self- 
instruction  and  improvement. 

Henry  Ware,  Artemas  B.  Muzzey, 

Sidney  Willard,  Barzillai  Frost, 

Charles  Follen,  Charles  T.  Brooks, 

H.  Ware,  Jr.,  Frederick  H.  Hedge, 

Jona.  Aldrich,  John  Owen, 

Francis  J.  Higginson.  John  M.  Smith, 

John  Q.  Day,  John  Livermore, 

Thomas  F.  Norris,  Nathl.  P.  Hunt, 

Stephen  Lovell,  John  N.  Barbour, 

Wm.  H.  Channing,  Edward  Brown,  Jr., 

Levi  Farwell,  William  Farwell. 
Henry  M.  Chamberlain, 

In  this  list  of  twenty-three  names  are  found  not 
only  young  men,  full  of  the  earnestness  and  im- 
pulsiveness of  their  age,  but  men  like  Henry 
Ware,  Sidney  Willard,  Levi  Farwell,  Henry  Ware, 
Jr.,  Charles  Follen,  and  others  in  the  meridian  of 
life,  or  past  it.  These,  and  several  who  possessed 
in  early  life  the  wisdom  of  age,  while  they  sympa- 
thized with  the  object  and  the  aims  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Antislavery  Society,  questioned  some  of 
the  proposed  measures,  and  the  spirit  and  language 
of  prominent  members  in  its  ranks. 

Charles  Follen,  LL.  D.,  born  in  Hesse  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  September  4,  1795  —  prominent 
abroad  and  in  this,  his  adopted  country,  as  a  cham- 
pion of  human  freedom  —  took  a  lively  interest  in 
our  movement.  Being  secretary  of  the  Cambridge 
association,  I  became  intimate  with  him,  and  knew 


THE    ANT1SLAVERY    MOVEMENT.  297 

well  how  thorough  and  pronounced  were  his  anti- 
slavery  principles  ;  and  that,  although  not  in  full  ac- 
cord with  William  Loyd  Garrison,  he  honored  his 
character,  and,  in  common  with  every  member  of 
our  society,  was  no  less  than  that  man,  a  decided 
abolitionist.  "  I  remained  long  "  said  Dr.  Follen, 
"  in  the  same  society  with  Garrison,  earnestly 
hoping  and  striving  to  induce  him,  without  abating 
his  an ti slavery  zeal,  to  tone  down  some  of  his  ex- 
pressions, and  especially  to  moderate  some  of  the 
language  he  applied  to  slaveholders."  Dr.  Follen 
thought  this  course  would  give  Mr.  Garrison  an 
influence  over  that  class  of  men,  abate  their  per- 
sonal hostility  to  himself,  and  thus  lead  them  to 
accept,  and  eventually  take  steps  toward  carrying 
out,  the  great  doctrine  of  human  rights,  a  final 
emancipation  of  the  slave.  Instead  of  denounc- 
ing the  church,  like  Garrison,  as  in  league  with  the 
slaveholder,  Dr.  Follen  would  labor  to  reform  it, 
and  to  infuse  into  it  the  spirit  of  Christian  liberty ; 
and  instead  of  blazing  forth  against  the  Consitu- 
tion,  like  some  others,  as  a  bond  of  slavery  and 
death,  and  a  "  covenant  with  hell,"  and  therefore 
to  be  broken  down,  he  would  uphold  it,  and  keep 
all  the  States,  north  and  south,  in  the  Union ;  and 
by  an  earnest  moral  influence,  encourage  them  all 
to  work  together  for  the  full  and  final  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slaves. 

In  these  views  the  Cambridge  Antislavery  So- 
ciety agreed.  It  seemed  to  them  that  for  the 
existence  of  slavery  in  some  parts  of  our  country. 


298  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

especially  at  the  seat  of  government,  we  of  the 
North  were  indirectly,  if  not  directly,  responsible. 
Accordingly  the  following  vote  was  passed  by  the 
society :  — 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Cambridge    Antislavery  Society 
on  the  evening  of  July  4,  1834,  it  was  voted  that 
Rev.  Charles  Follen, 
Rev.  T.  F.  Norris, 
Rev.  J.  Aldrich, 
Mr.  H.  M.  Chamberlain, 
Mr.  F.  J.  Higginson, 

be  a  committee  to  draft  a  petition  to  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States,  praying  them  to  take  immediate 
measures  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  ;  and  that  the  same  persons  be  a  committee  to 
procure  signatures  thereto  in  the  town  of  Cambridge 
and  the  vicinity. 

We  had  all  hoped  by  this,  and  other  similar 
qniet  means  and  methods,  to  help  accomplish  the 
great  end  which  every  true  friend  of  his  country 
must  desire.  But  Providence  had  decreed  other- 
wise ;  and  though  our  humble  endeavors  must 
have  contributed  their  share  toward  moulding  the 
needed  public  opinion  on  this  subject,  and  though 
the  noble  work  of  Garrison  —  whom  we  honored  for 
his  moral  courage  —  did  then,  as  we  all  know,  lay 
the  foundation  stones  of  this  mighty  achievement, 
yet,  where  the  olive  branch  proved  ineffectual,  the 
sword  was  at  last  the  direct  instrument  of  success. 

At  the  North,  prejudice  against  the  colored  race 
was   a   barrier  in  many  hearts  to   an  interest  in 


THE    ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT. 


299 


emancipation.  I  rejoiced  in  being  free  from  it. 
Among  the  pleasant  memories  of  my  early  boy- 
hood I  recall  that  of  a  colored  family  which  lived 
not  far  from  my  father's  house.  The  head  of  the 
household,  a  thoroughbred  negro,  was  good-natured 
and  as  faithful  as  the  sunshine  ;  and  how  gentle 
and  motherly  the  wife  was.  Shall  I  ever  forget 
the  kind  tone  with  which  she  always  spoke  to  me  ? 
And  the  two  daughters  —  I  loved  them  as  if  they 
had  been  my  own  relations.  One  of  them,  long 
years  after,  walked  several  miles  to  see  me,  and 
told  me,  with  a  beaming  face,  that  she  had  lately 
joined  the  church.  Her  pleasant  smile  and  kind 
manner  carried  me  back  almost  to  infancy.  That 
dear  old  circle,  in  their  small  unpainted  cottage, 
still  shines  on  memory's  page.  And  I  believe  a 
lifelong  interest  in  their  race  dates  back  to  that 
spot.  It  made  me  yearn  to  see  them  receive  their 
God-intended  liberty  and  equal  rights  ;  and  it  made 
my  heart  leap  for  joy  when  I  read  at  last  the  noble 
proclamation  for  their  emancipation,  penned  by  the 
immortal  Lincoln  and  confirmed  by  our  National 
Congress. 


THE    STOCKS. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

BOUTELLE     FAMILY. 

Timothy  Boutelle,  born  January  1,  1739,  was 
distinguished  for  his  patriotism  and  his  military 
service  in  the  Revolution.  Immediately  upon  the 
receipt  at  Leominster  of  news  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  a  company  was  enlisted  in  that  town 
into  the  Continental  service  for  eight  months,  in 
the  "  23d  Regiment  of  Foot,"  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Asa  Whitcomb,  to  be  stationed  on  Pros- 
pect Hill  in  Cambridge.  This  company  was  under 
the  command  of  Captain  David  Wilder,  and  num- 
bered sixty-seven  men,  of  whom  fifty-nine  enlisted 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  My  grandfather  Bou- 
telle was  that  day  commissioned  as  lieutenant  of  the 
company,  which  was  in  Colonel  Whitcomb's  regi- 
ment while  it  was  at  Roxbury,  and  marched  from 
there  to  Dorchester  Heights  on  the  evening  of 
March  4,  1776.  It  was  afterward  in  the  Northern 
army,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Saratoga  and 
was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 

In  1786  Daniel  Shays,  who  had  been  a  captain 
in  the  Continental  army,  headed  an  insurrection 
against  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  which 


BOUTELLE    FAMILY.  301 

was  created  under  the  pressure  of  heavy  taxation 
and  pecuniary  embarrassments  caused  by  the  late 
war,  and  by  a  prejudice  against  the  courts.  It  re- 
sulted in  an  organized  resistance  to  the  laws  of  the 
State.  Governor  Bowdoin  ordered  out  a  detach- 
ment of  the  militia  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  under 
the  command  of  Major-General  Lincoln.  Leomin- 
ster furnished  its  quota  of  men  ;  and  two  of  the 
officers  were  taken  from  that  town.  One  was 
Major  Timothy  Boutelle,  who  subsequently  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  The  insurgents 
had  encamped  at  Petersham.  On  an  intensely 
cold  night,  February  4,  1786,  in  which  many  of 
the  soldiers  were  frozen  on  the  march,  Colonel 
Boutelle,  to  the  great  anxiety  and  distress  of  his 
wife,  my  grandmother,  left  alone  at  her  home, 
led  the  advanced  guard,  and  arrived  in  Petersham 
so  early  as  to  surprise  the  insurgents  in  their  beds. 
They  all  surrendered,  and  this  terminated  the  re- 
bellion, without  a  shot  or  any  resistance.  "  Col- 
onel Boutelle,"  says  the  historian  of  Leominster, 
"  acquired  great  credit  for  the  tact  and  skill  which 
he  exhibited  on  that  trying  occasion,  and  for 
many  years  afterwards  continued  to  be  the  com- 
mander of  the  regiment." 

Ensign  John  Buss,  a  brother-in-law  of  Colonel 
Boutelle,  also  took  part  in  the  same  service.  He 
was  soon  promoted,  and  for  some  time  was  captain 
of  a  company  in  Leominster. 

Colonel  Boutelle  was  highly  respected  in  town, 
and  was    chosen    representative    to    the    General 


302  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Court  in  1786  and  1793.  He  owned  and  occupied 
a  fine  farm  in  Leominster,  Massachusetts,  a  mile 
northwest  of  Leominster  Centre,  which,  after  be- 
ino;  familiar  with  it  in  childhood  as  the  home  of  mv 
maternal  grandparents,  I  visited  in  1867,  and  found 
the  old  house,  the  outbuildings,  workshop,  barn, 
&c,  almost  identical  with  those  of  former  days. 
On  Boutelle  Hill,  one  of  the  most  elevated  and 
commanding  sites  of  that  richly  landed  and  beau- 
tiful town,  my  grandfather  spent  most  of  his  life. 
Timothy  Boutelle  married  Rachel,  daughter  of 
Luke  Lincoln  of  Leicester.  He  died  May  1810, 
aged  seventy  years.  His  wife  died  January  1, 
1828,  aged  eighty-six  years. 

My  grandfather  was  a  strict  Sabbatarian,  very 
constant  at  meeting.  The  old  family  chaise  was 
used  every  Sunday  and  for  every  service,  morning 
and  afternoon.  The  young  men,  and  sometimes 
the  young  women  of  the  family,  would  add  to  the 
number  one  or  more  persons  on  horseback,  while 
the  children  would  walk  the  long  mile  to  reach 
the  meeting-house.  To  descend  the  hill  to  the 
church  was  easy  ;  but  to  climb  its  steeps  home- 
ward, especially  in  the  heat  of  a  midsummer  day, 
was  a  test  of  the  little  boy's  love  and  obedience 
to  his  grandparents.  When  Sunday  came,  how- 
ever, no  questions  were  asked,  but  one  and  all 
must  either  put  on  their  garments  and  go  to  meet- 
ing, or,  if  sickness  was  suggested,  it  was  pro- 
posed to  send  for  the  doctor.     The  thought  of  his 


BOUTELLE    FAMILY.  303 

big  potions  and  bitter  pills  made  me  quite  willing 
to  endure  the  pains  of  hard  walking. 

Think  of  the  contrast  between  those  times  and 
the  present  in  this  regard.  Go  back  to  the  old 
meeting-house  where  I  saw,  in  my  early  days,  the 
stocks  in  the  vestibule  and  the  tything-man  with 
his  rod  in  the  gallery.  Go  back  to  the  ages  of 
the  forefathers.  We  children  were  wearied  by  the 
sermon  of  an  hour's  length  ;  but  good  pastor  Shep- 
ard  of  Cambridge  habitually  turned  his  hour-glass 
up  twice  before  he  ended  his  discourse ;  and  on  the 
planting  of  a  church  at  Wo  burn,  Massachusetts, 
and  dedication  of  the  meeting-house,  "  Rev.  Mr. 
Syms,"  as  we  read,  "  continued  preaching  and 
prayer  about  the  space  of  five  hours." 

The  contrast  in  Boston  and  its  vicinity,  between 
the  present  mode  of  spending  Sunday  and  that  of 
the  year  1677  is  most  striking.  Look  at  the  ideas 
and  practices  of  those  early  days  in  this  respect ; 
in  that  year  we  read :  — 

The  Court  order  and  enact  that  the  Sabbath  laws  be 
twice  read  annually,  in  March  and  September,  by  the 
minister,  and  the  selectmen  are  ordered  to  see  to  it  that 
there  be  one  man  appointed  to  inspect  every  ten  families 
of  his  neighbors  ;  which  tything-men  are  empowered  to 
do  in  the  absence  of  the  constable,  to  apprehend  all 
Sabbath  breakers,  &c,  and  carry  them  before  the  Mag- 
istrate or  other  authority,  or  commit  them  to  prison,  as 
any  Constable  may  do,  to  be  proceeded  with  according 
to  law. 

This    system    of   the    espionage    of   neighbors. 


304  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

seems  to  us  so  intolerable  that  we  should  think  it 
an  outrage  on  our  natural  rights. 
Read  another  of  these  statutes  :  — 


For  the  better  putting  in  restraint  and  securing  the 
offenders  who  transgress  against  the  Sabbath  laws  in  the 
meeting-house,  or  by  misbehavior,  by  making  any  noise 
or  otherwise  during  the  daytime,  they  shall  be  laid  hold  of 
by  any  of  the  inhabitants  near  the  said  person  and  car- 
ried and  put  into  the  cage,  by  those  authorized  to  exe- 
cute this  law,  to  be  forthwith  erected  in  Boston,  which 
is  appointed  by  the  Selectmen  to  be  set  up  in  the 
market-place,  and  in  such  other  towns  as  the  County 
Court  shall  appoint,  there  to  remain  till  the  authorities 
shall  examine  the  person  of  the  offender,  and  order  his 
punishment,  as  the  matter  may  require,  according  to  the 
laws  relating  to  the  Sabbath. 

This  cage  was  a  contrivance  to  secure  each 
foot  and  each  hand,  and  the  head  also,  by  thrusting 
them  into  an  upright  machine  with  holes  in  it  for 
this  purpose.  And  this  machine  was  set  in  the 
market-place,  not  as  we  confine  criminals,  in  a 
secluded  room. 

What  would  those  good  people  say  if  they  could 
know  our  present  notions  about  the  observance  of 
Sunday :  a  large  proportion  of  the  community 
never  even  entering  the  door  of  a  church,  but  rid- 
ing, walking,  going  where  they  please  for  any  en- 
joyment on  the  Lord's  Day ;  many  in  the  same  old 
Boston,  frequenting  places  for  questionable  indul- 
gences—  concerts,  hardly  bearing  a  trace  of  any- 
thing  "sacred,"   and    lectures  on  many  subjects 


BOUTELLE    FAMILY.  305 

wide  from  texts  of  Scripture ;  and  even  some  of 
the  best  people  of  the  day  visiting  museums  of 
Art  and  libraries  of  all  kinds,  under  the  sanction 
of  the  civil  authorities.  Would  they  as  readily 
excuse  all  our  ideas  and  practices  on  the  Sabbath, 
as  most  of  us  excuse,  and  rightly,  I  think,  the 
errors  in  thought  and  practice,  of  the  Puritans  ? 

The  children  of  Timothy  and  Kachel  Boutelle 
were  Lydia,  born  April  1,  1769,  who  married  Amos 
Muzzey,  Jr.,  of  Lexington,  October  10,  1795.  He 
died  May  20,  1829,  aged  sixty-three  years;  and 
she  died  December  24,  1838,  aged  sixty-nine  years 
and  nine  months. 

Timothy,  born  in  1779,  died  November  12,  1855, 
aged  seventy-seven  years.  He  graduated  with 
honors  at  Harvard  College  in  1800,  and  received 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1804  ;  he  was  in  the  same 
class  with  Rev.  Joseph  Stevens  Buckminster, 
Washington  Allston,  and  Chief  Justice  Shaw  of 
Massachusetts,  who  was  Mr.  Boutelle's  college 
room-mate  and  lifelong  friend.  After  leaving  col- 
lege Mr.  Boutelle  was  for  one  year  assistant  in 
Leicester  Academy.  He  then  studied  law  with 
Abijah  Bigelow  in  Leominster,  and  finished  his 
studies  with  Edwin  Gray  in  Boston.  He  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  Waterville,  Maine,  in  1804,  where 
he  was  highly  successful.  His  legal  knowledge 
was  extensive  and  accurate,  and  his  judgment 
sound.  In  January,  1811,  he  married  Helen, 
daughter  of  Judge  Rogers  of  Exeter,  New  Hamp- 
shire, who  was  born  April  19,   1788,  and  died  in 

20 


306  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

1880,  aged  ninety-two  years.  He  took  an  active 
interest  in  political  affairs,  was  six  years  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Maine,  and  for  the 
same  time  in  the  Senate.  In  1816  he  was  chosen 
a  presidential  elector ;  in  1839  he  received  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Waterville  College,  now 
Colby  University,  in  Maine,  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee  and  the  treasurer  for  many  years.  For 
twenty  years  he  was  president  of  a  bank  in  Water- 
ville, and  the  first  president  of  the  Androscoggin 
and  Kennebec  Railroad.  He  kept  up  his  interest 
in  classical  studies,  and  was  a  wide  reader.  He 
was  devoted  to  the  interests,  educational,  moral, 
and  religious,  of  his  town  and  community;  and 
served  in  various  relations,  public  and  private, 
with  ability.  His  memory  is  held  in  respectful 
and  affectionate  regard  by  his  numerous  friends 
and  acquaintances.  His  disposition  was  social,  and 
he  was  a  warm  friend.  With  strong  sense  and 
a  native  wit  he  wTas  an  instructive  and  agreeable 
companion. 

Enoch,  son  of  Colonel  Timothy  Boutelle,  had 
the  military  spirit  of  his  father,  and  was  an  officer 
in  the  militia.  I  remember  seeing  his  spoiitoon 
at  my  grandfather's  old  house.  This  weapon 
sometimes  called  a  half-pike,  wTas  used  in  France 
during  the  Revolution  of  1789,  and  was  introduced 
later  into  this  country. 

Enoch  Boutelle  occupied  the  old  homestead  in 
Leominster  until  1817,  when  he  died,  from  a  sud- 
den disease,  known  as  the  "  melting  of  the  caul," 


BOUTELLE    FAMILY.  307 

occasioned  by  overheating  himself  while  pursuing 
a  stray  animal. 

Caleb  Boutelle  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1806,  and  studied  medicine  ;  he  was  a  member  of 
Massachusetts    Medical    Society.     He    established 
himself  first  at  Belfast,  Maine,  in  1810,  with  his 
classmate,  Joseph  Green   Coggswell,  who  at  the 
same   time  began  there  the  practice  of  law.     Dr. 
Boutelle   remained  in  Belfast  some  two  years,  and 
then   removed   to  Lexington,   Massachusetts.     In 
1812  he  was  a  surgeon  in  the  navy  during  the  war 
with  Great  Britain,  and  was   taken    prisoner  and 
carried  to  Gibraltar.     He  subsequently  removed  to 
Plymouth,   Massachusetts,  and  died  there  in  1819. 
Trusted  as  a  faithful  and  skilled   physician,  he  was 
greatly  respected,  by  all  who  knew  him,  as  a  man  of 
high  integrity,  and  beloved  and  lamented  by  his 
kindred  and  friends.     He  married  Anne,  daughter 
of  General  Goodwin  of  Plymouth,  where  she  died 
at  an  advanced  age.     They  had  several  children, 
among  whom  were  Charles  Otis,  of  the  U.  S.  Coast 
Survey,  and    James  Thacher,  who   graduated    at 
Harvard   College  in   1867,  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.   1871,  and  was  a  member   of  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

LAFAYETTE. 

These  biographical  reminiscences  have  thus  far 
been  confined  almost  exclusively  to  native-born 
men  and  their  families.  But  there  was  one  man 
of  foreign  birth,  who  took  a  part  in  our  great  Rev- 
olutionary struggle,  so  nobly  disinterested,  that  he 
ought  to  hold  in  our  memories  and  affections  the 
place  of  an  adopted  son  of  America. 

Lafayette,  born  September  6,  1757,  belonged 
to  an  ancient  and  noble  stock.  The  original  family 
name  was  Motier.  Some  of  his  male  ancestors 
were  remarkable  for  military  ability,  and  some  of 
the  women  for  literary  talents.  His  property  and 
influence  were  increased  by  his  marriage,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  to  a  lady  of  the  illustrious  line  of 
Noailles.  His  full  name,  incorporating  several  of 
his  ancestors,  was  Marie-Paul-Joseph-Roch-Yves- 
Gilbert-Motier  de  la  Fayette.  The  rank  and  afflu- 
ence of  his  family  gave  him  the  fullest  education, 
not  only  in  classical  and  general  literature,  but  in 
military  tactics. 


LAFAYETTE. 


LAFAYETTE.  309 

His  mind,  both  by  nature  and  cultivation,  was 
imbued  with  a  strong  love  of  liberty.  He  learned 
early  the  situation  of  our  country,  and  its  pur- 
pose of  revolution  and  independence.  Writing 
subsequently  to  the  president  of  the  Continental 
Congress  he  says :  "  The  moment  I  heard  of 
America,  I  loved  her  ;  the  moment  I  knew  she  was 
fighting  for  liberty,  I  burnt  with  a  desire  to  bleed 
for  her." 

In  the  month  of  January,  1777,  he  reached  our 
shores  in  a  vessel  purchased  at  his  own  expense, 
entered  the  American  army,  bought  clothing  and 
arms  for  the  troops  under  General  Moultrie  of 
South  Carolina,  and  advanced  to  Washington 
60,000  francs  for  the  public  service.  In  July  of 
the  same  year,  although  less  than  twenty  years  of 
age,  he  was  commissioned  by  Congress  a  major- 
general.  At  Branclywine,  Valley  Forge,  Mon- 
mouth, and  onward  to  his  valiant  and  successful 
attack  of  the  British  redoubts  at  Yorktown,  his 
deeds  and  his  sacrifices  were  as  noble  as  his  gener- 
ous promise  in  the  outset. 

Washington  wrote  of  him  to  the  president  of 
Congress,  October  13,  1778,  as  "  an  officer  who 
unites  to  all  the  military  fire  of  youth  an  uncom- 
mon maturity  of  judgment."  He  was  honored  and 
loved  by  his  companions  in  arms,  and  lauded  and 
sustained  by  Congress,  that  body  on  the  21st  of 
October,  1778,  passing  a  resolve,  to  cause  "  an 
elegant  sword,  with  proper  devices,  to  be  pre- 
sented in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  to  the 


310  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Marquis  La  Fayette."  He  soon  became  the  pride 
of  the  nation,  and  was  taken  to  the  bosoms  of  a 
grateful  people.  Grave  and  judicious  men  gave 
him  their  testimonials.  Franklin  writes  to  him 
from  France  :  "  I  find  it  easy  to  express  every- 
thing but  the  sense  we  have  of  your  worth  and 
our  obligations  to  you."  Samuel  Adams  says  to 
him,  June,  1780:  "My  particular  friendship  for 
you  would  be  a  prevailing  inducement  with  me," 
&c.  And  Chief  Justice  Marshall  speaks  of  "  the 
joy  and  affection  with  which  Washington  received 
him,"  and  "  the  distinction  and  regard  of  Congress  " 
for  him,  "  to  which  his  constant  and  indefatigable 
zeal  in  support  of  the  American  cause,"  and  "  his 
signal  services,  gave  him  such  just  pretensions." 

After  the  war  had  closed  there  was  one  heart  in 
which  the  old  love  never  waxed  cold.  In  1784 
Lafayette  revisited  Washington,  and  when  they 
parted  at  Annapolis  it  was  never  to  meet  ag<ain. 
But  Washington,  writing  afterward  to  Lafayette, 
said  :  "  Every  hour  since,  I  have  felt  all  that  love, 
respect,  and  attachment  for  you,  with  which  length 
of  years,  close  connection,  and  your  merits  have 
inspired  me."  And  the  letters  of  Lafayette  to  him 
show  what  affection  he  could  awaken  in  a  bosom 
friend. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  see  Lafayette  under 
circumstances  of  special  interest,  very  soon  after, 
having  accepted  the  invitation  of  Congress  to  re- 
visit this  country,  he  had  landed  at  New  York 
City,  August  15,*1824. 


LAFAYETTE.  311 

When,  a  few  days  later,  he  entered  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton, the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  was  unbounded. 
As  he  passed  out  of  Washington  Street  into  State 
Street,  a  multitude  of  every  age  and  description 
poured  forth  their  demonstrations.  Not  the  young 
or  middle-aged  alone,  but  hoary  heads  were  carried 
away  by  the  excitement  of  that  occasion.  In  their 
midst,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  the  great  Dr.  Bow- 
ditch  moving  along  in  the  crowd,  waving  his  hat 
in  the  air ;  and,  as  he  approached  the  barouche  in 
which  Lafayette  was  riding,  he  joined  in  the 
shouts  of  the  throng  like  a  youth.  Who  else 
could  have  so  stirred  this  grave  man,  the  mathe- 
matician renowned  the  world  over  ;  and  whom,  not 
many  months  after  this  event,  I  saw,  on  commence- 
ment day,  seated  among  the  Corporation  of  Har- 
vard College,  —  so  staid,  so  dignified,  one  might 
have  asked,  "  Does  that  man  ever  smile  ?  " 

But,  after  all,  the  order  of  that  day  was  perfect. 
If  we  had  been  in  France,  the  chance  is  that  such 
an  event  would  have  been  accompanied  by  very 
different  scenes.  I  am  not  surprised  that  Lafa- 
yette asked  at  that  time,  as  he  looked  on  the  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  that  followed  in  his  train,  — 
so  orderly  in  their  deportment,  and  so  well  dressed, 
—  "  Where  are  the  common  people?" 

On  the  26th  of  August,  1824,  the  Harvard 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  held  its  annual  meeting 
for  public  services  in  the  old  meeting-house  of  the 
First  Parish  in  Cambridge,  which  stood  on  the  spot 
now  (1882)  occupied  by  the    Law  School.     The 


312  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

fame  of  the  orator,  Edward  Everett,  and  the  ex- 
pectation of  seeing  the  illustrious  Lafayette  on 
that  occasion,  drew  together  an  eager  and  crowded 
assembly.  This,  we  all  felt,  was  a  proud  day  for 
Harvard.  Lafayette  had  already  been  welcomed 
by  thousands,  but  new  lustre  was  shed  upon  his 
name  when  he  came  to  the  Commencement  of 
our  ancient  college.  Our  hearts  beat  with  rap- 
ture as  we  saw  him  enter  our  precincts.  A  mag- 
nificent arch  had  been  erected  and  handsomely 
decorated  in  Cambridgeport.  On  either  side  of  the 
street  were  our  school-children,  the  girls  in  white 
frocks  and  the  boys  in  blue  jackets.  Through  the 
thronged  line  Lafayette  rode  to  Cambridge.  Cheer 
upon  cheer  burst  from  the  multitude  as  he  moved 
forward.  When  the  distinguished  stranger  en- 
tered the  church,  the  delighted  audience  rose  in  a 
mass  and  greeted  him  with  unstinted  demonstra- 
tions. But  when  the  orator,  toward  the  close  of 
his  address,  turned  toward  Lafayette  and  com- 
menced his  allusions  to  him,  all  eyes  were  fixed 
on  that  noble  figure,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
multitude  broke  forth  in  still  louder  applause. 
The  personal  address  to  him  kindled  a  yet  more 
fervent  expression  of  the  joy  of  all  hearts.  After 
speaking  in  a  touching  strain  of  his  old  compan- 
ions in  arms  —  Lincoln,  Greene,  Knox,  and  Hamil- 
ton —  Mr.  Everett  added,  "  But  they  are  gone  ;  " 
and,  rising  to  the  climax  of  the  scene,  he  pro- 
ceeded :  — 


LAFAYETTE.  313 

Above  all,  the  first  of  heroes  and  of  men,  the  friend 
of  yonr  youth,  the  more  than  friend  of  his  country,  rests 
in  the  bosom  of  the  soil  he  redeemed.  On  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac  he  lies  in  glory  and  peace.  You  will  re- 
visit the  hospitable  shades  of  Mount  Vernon,  but  him 
whom  you  venerated,  as  we  did,  you  will  not  meet  at  its 
door.  His  voice  of  consolation,  which  reached  you  in 
the  Austrian  dungeons,  cannot  now  break  its  silence  to 
bid  you  welcome  to  his  own  roof ;  but  the  grateful  chil- 
dren of  America  will  bid  you  welcome  in  his  name. 
Welcome,  thrice  welcome  to  our  shores  ;  and  witherso- 
ever, throughout  the  limits  of  the  continent,  your  course 
shall  take  you,  the  ear  that  hears  you  shall  bless  you, 
the  eye  that  sees  you  shall  bear  witness  to  you,  and 
every  tongue  exclaim,  with  heartfelt  joy,  "  Welcome, 
welcome,  Lafayette." 

For  a  moment  the  enraptured  listeners  paused 
to  recover  their  breath,  and  then,  with  tears  on 
their  faces,  burst  into  prolonged  and  reiterated  ap- 
plause. Lafayette  shared  in  these  thrilling  emo- 
tions, sensibly  affected  by  the  allusion  to  his  own 
services  and  sufferings,  and  especially  at  the  name 
of  Washington.  At  the  dinner  of  the  Society  we 
enjoyed,  under  the  presiding  genius  of  Judge 
Story,  a  feast  of  wit  and  hilarity,  heightened  by  a 
long  line  of  distinguished  speakers, —  Everett,  Jo- 
siah  Quincy,  Governor  Eustis,  ex-Governor  Brooks, 
and  others  —  not  the  least  of  whom  was  our  world- 
renowned  guest,  whose  native  accent  was  almost 
overcome  by  his  cordial  appreciation  of  the  scene, 
making  us  all,  as  one,  feel  that  such  a  fellowship 
as  this  band  of  brothers  now  awakened  we  might 


314  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

never  again  enjoy.  And  when  he  read  the  sen- 
timent he  there  gave,  he  called  up  a  picture  of 
scenes  in  the  old  world,  part  of  which  he  himself 
had  been  :  "  The  Holy  Alliance  of  virtue,  litera- 
ture, and  patriotism,  —  it  will  prove  too  powerful 
for  any  coalition  against  the  rights  of  man." 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  on  September  2, 
Lafayette  accepted  an  invitation  of  the  town  of 
Lexington  to  visit  that  place.  This  gave  me  an 
opportunity  for  a  personal  introduction  to  him  in 
my  native  place,  and  on  the  very  spot  hallowed  as 
the  birthplace  of  American  liberty.  At  the  line 
of  the  town  he  was  met  by  a  body  of  horse  and 
a  procession  of  citizens,  who  escorted  him  to  the 
Common.  An  arch  of  evergreen  and  beautiful 
flowers  had  been  erected,  with  the  motto  :  "  Wel- 
come, Friend  of  America,  to  the  birthplace  of 
American  liberty."  Among  the  large  concourse 
assembled  to  honor  the  guest  of  the  nation  were 
the  children  of  the  schools,  and  fourteen  of  the 
brave  men  who  took  part  in  the  battle  of  the 
19th  of  April,  1775.  The  procession,  under  sa- 
lutes from  an  artillery  corps,  moved  to  the  Mon- 
ument, where  an  eloquent  address  of  welcome  was 
given  by  Major  Elias  Phinney  of  Lexington.  To 
this  cordial  tribute  Lafayette,  with  great  emotion, 
replied,  thanking  the  people  of  Lexington  for  their 
kind  attention,  and  expressing  his  happiness  in 
standing  upon  ground  "  consecrated  by  the  blood 
of  the  first  martyrs  to  American  freedom,  a  cause 
whose   influence   had   been  felt   the   world  over." 


LAFAYETTE.  315 

He  spoke  of  his  joy  in  looking  upon  the  survivors 
of  that  heroic  band  of  "  venerated  men"  who  here 
inaugurated  that  resistance  to  tyrants  which  is 
obedience  to  God. 

When  these  exercises  were  completed  Lafayette 
was  introduced  to  the  revered  fourteen  of  that  gal- 
lant company  who,  nearly  a  half-century  before, 
had  stood  on  that  spot  and  defended  the  rights  of 
our  people  in  presence  of  a  defiant  enemy.  After 
warm  greetings  from  the  large  company  around 
him  they  sat  down  to  a  collation,  and  it  was  an 
occasion  never  to  be  forgotten  by  those  present. 
I  was  impressed  by  the  personal  appearance  of  our 
guest.  He  was  tall  and  well  proportioned.  His  head 
was  large;  his  face  oval  and  regular,  and  marked 
by  an  unmistakable  benevolence.  His  forehead  was 
lofty  and  open ;  his  eyes  were  of  a  grayish  blue, 
large  and  prominent,  and  surmounted  by  light  and 
well-arched  eyebrows.  His  nose  was  aquiline,  and, 
like  his  ears,  large,  both  indicating  longevity.  His 
mouth  wore  an  evidently  natural  smile.  His  com- 
plexion was  light,  and  his  cheeks  were  slightly  col- 
ored. When  he  spoke  his  voice  was  the  organ  of 
his  soul,  indicating  a  sincerity  and  frankness  that 
fascinated  those  who  talked  with  him.  The  French 
accent  of  his  conversation  added  to  the  impression 
and  interest  produced  by  the  whole  man.  I  no- 
ticed he  seemed  a  little  lame ;  and  the  marks  left 
by  his  long  and  dreary  imprisonment  of  two  years 
in  the  dungeon  of  Olmutz  and  three  years  at 
Magdeburg, —  in  which  imprisonments  he  was  ema- 


316  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ciated  by  fevers  and  lost  all  his  hair,  —  and  the 
effect  of  wounds,  received  both  in  our  Revolution 
and  that  of  France,  were  so  evident  in  his  form 
and  figure  as  to  draw  tears,  as  one  reflected  on 
the  sacrifices  and  sufferings  he  had  passed  through 
in  his  noble  devotion  to  human  freedom. 

The  last  opportunity  I  had  to  see  Lafayette  was 
when  he  was  present,  June  17,  1825,  at  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument. 
The  procession,  including  a  vast  array  of  civil  and 
military  bodies  with  banners  of  every  variety 
marched  through  the  streets  of  Boston  amid  the 
rapturous  applause  of  spectators  looking  eagerly 
for  the  barouche  in  which  rode  the  cynosure  of  all 
eyes.  He  was  followed  by  forty  survivors  of  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill;  the  school-children,  clad 
in  their  neatest  apparel,  were  arranged  in  the 
streets ;  the  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  and 
the  men  clapped  their  hands  and  uncovered  their 
heads,  as  the  hero  of  the  day  passed  by.  How  our 
hearts  rushed  back  to  that  day  of  terror  and 
bloodshed,  as  we  looked  on  those  old  men,  their 
silver  locks,  their  bending  forms,  and  their  ven- 
erated faces.  Among  them  was  the  brave  old 
chaplain,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Thaxter  of  Edgartown 
who  was  chaplain  of  Colonel  Prescott's  Regiment 
June  17,  1775,  and  survived,  after  fifty  years  had 
elapsed,  to  raise  his  voice  in  prayer  to  the  God 
of  armies,  who,  out  of  the  perils,  struggles,  and 
death-groans  of  that  fearful  strife,  brought  a  united 
nation  to  liberty  and  independence. 


LAFAYETTE.  317 

When  the  procession  halted  on  Bunker  Hill,  it 
was  a  long  time  before,  not  the  "  uncounted  "  but 
seemingly  countless  "  multitude  "  could  be  brought 
to  order.      I  found  myself  forced  on  by  the  crowd 
until   I  was  at  last  in    the  seats  assigned  to  the 
United    States    Senate.      Mr.    Webster    at   length 
rose  and  attempted   to  produce   order.      "Every 
one, "  said  he,  "  rises  to  bid  his  neighbor  sit  down. 
Let  all  who  have  seats  now,  keep  them. "     In  this 
way  quiet   was   at  last  secured.      The   ceremony 
first  performed  was  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone, 
under    the    direction   of   King  Solomon's    Lodge. 
The  plate,  containing  a  very  long  inscription,  was 
deposited  in  its  proper  place.     The  Masonic  ser- 
vices were  conducted  by  John  Abbot,  Lafayette 
assisting;  and    it  added    to  one's  interest  in  this 
service  to  recollect  that  there  stood  a  man  who 
had  shared  with  Washington,  nearly  a  half-cen- 
tury before,  the  labors  and  pleasures  of  this  an- 
cient  order.     Then  came    the   literary  exercises. 
A  grand  hymn,  written  by  the  Rev.  John  Pierpont, 
was  sung  to  the  tune  of  Old  Hundred.     Then  fol- 
lowed the  address  by  Mr.  Webster,  president  of 
the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  Association.     He  was 
then  in  his  prime,  about  forty  years  of  age.     His 
majestic  figure,  commanding  face,   and    powerful 
voice  arrested  every   eye  and  ear ;    and  we  felt : 
here  is  a  man,  an  orator,  a  patriot,  who,  by  a  sin- 
gle hour  of  seeing  and  hearing  him,  takes  us  back 
to  the  best  days  of  Grecian  eloquence.     An  inspir- 
ing hymn  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Flint  of  Salem,  a  sol- 


318  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

emn  and  fervent  prayer  by  the  Rev.  James  Walker 
of  Charlestown,  a  touching  ode,  and  the  benedic- 
tion by  the  revered  Joseph  Thaxter,  completed 
the  services. 

Although  forty  survivors  of  the  battle  were  then 
present, — eighteen  years  afterward,  June  17,  1843, 
when  Mr.  Webster  gave  the  oration  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Monument,  only  fourteen  of  that 
honored  band  remained.  And  meantime  the  ven- 
erated Lafayette  had  passed  away,  May  19,  1834, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

Lafayette's  name  and  presence,  during  his  jour- 
neys in  our  land,  awakened  an  extraordinary  en- 
thusiasm. 

We  may  adduce  one  example  as  an  illustration 
of  the  reception  given  him  throughout  the  whole 
country.  August  31,  1824,  he  visited  Newbury- 
port.  At  Ipswich,  9  o'clock  p.  m.,  he  was  met, 
under  the  escort  of  a  battalion  of  cavalry  from 
that  place,  by  the  Newburyport  Artillery  and  the 
Washington  Light  Infantry.  The  houses  along  the 
road,  as  well  as  in  the  streets  of  Newburyport,  were 
illuminated ;  and  his  approach  was  announced 
by  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  firing  of  cannon, 
and  the  display  of  rockets,  as  he  was  conducted 
under  an  arch  —  thrown  across  the  head  of  State 
Street,  with  the  motto,  "  The  Hero  of  Two  Con- 
tinents "  —  to  the  residence  of  James  Prince,  on 
State  Street.  Mr.  Prince's  elegant  mansion  was 
put  in  readiness  to  receive  him.  He  occupied  at 
night  the  apartment   in   which   Washington  had 


LAFAYETTE.  319 

slept  on  his  visit  to  this  town  in  1789,  and  the 
furniture  had  never  been  changed.  On  his  arrival 
he  was  addressed  by  Hon.  Ebenezer  Moseley  as 
follows :  — 

General  Lafayette,  —  The  citizens  of  Newbury  - 
port  are  happy  in  this  opportunity  of  greeting,  with  the 
warmest  welcome,  a  distinguished  benefactor  of  their 
country. 

The  important  services  you  rendered  this  people  in 
the  day  of  their  distress,  the  devotedness  which  you 
manifested  in  their  perilous  cause,  and  the  dangers  which 
you  sought  for  their  relief  are  incorporated  in  our  his- 
tory and  firmly  engraven  on  our  hearts. 

We  would  lead  you  to  our  institutions  of  learning, 
charity,  and  religion,  we  would  point  you  to  our  hills 
and  valleys  covered  with  flocks  and  smiling  in  abun- 
dance, that  you  may  behold  the  happy  effect  of  those 
principles  of  liberty  which  you  were  so  instrumental  in 
establishing.  Our  children  cluster  about  you  to  receive 
a  patriot's  blessing.  Our  citizens  press  forward  to 
show  their  gratitude.  Our  nation  pays  you  a  tribute 
which  must  remove  the  reproach  that  republics  are 
ungrateful. 

As  the  zealous  advocate  of  civil  liberty,  we  give  yon 
welcome  ;  as  the  brave  defender  of  an  oppressed  people 
we  make  you  welcome  ;  as  the  friend  and  companion  of 
our  immortal  Washington,  we  bid  you  welcome. 

To  this  address  the  General  made  a  brief  and 
appropriate  reply,  in  which  he  modestly  said  the 
great  attention  paid  him  was  far  beyond  his  ex- 
pectations or  deserts, —  that  his  feelings  of  attach- 
ment toward  this  country  could  not  be  expressed. 


320  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

but  only  felt  by  a  heart  glowing  with  the  most 
ardent  affection. 

At  an  early  hour  the  next  morning  a  levee  was 
held,  at  which  the  veteran  hero  was  introduced  to 
many  of  the  citizens  of  Newburyport.  The  chil- 
dren were  not  forgotten  on  the  occasion;  and  a  near 
friend  of  mine  says  she  well  remembers,  when  the 
tall  man  was  about  leaving,  she,  a  girl  only  a  few 
years  old,  received  from  him  a  kiss,  with  the 
adieu,  "  Good-by,  dear  little  girl."  Her  father 
told  her  she  must  never  forget  the  notice  that 
great  and  good  man  took  of  her  ;  and  she  has  kept 
his  injunction  to  this  day. 

The  bond  between  Lafayette  and  his  old  com- 
rades in  arms  was  very  strong.  He  was  an  origi- 
nal member  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and 
soon  after  he  reached  America,  August,  1824,  an 
address  was  made  to  him  by  General  John  Brooks 
in  the  name  of  that  society.  To  this  Lafayette 
replied  in  the  following  touching  words :  — 

Amidst  the  inexpressible  enjoyments  which  press 
upon  my  heart,  I  could  not  but  feel  particularly  eager 
and  happy  to  meet  my  beloved  brothers-in-arms.  Many, 
many  I  call  in  vain  ;  and,  at  their  head,  our  matchless 
paternal  chief,  whose  love  to  an  adopted  son,  I  am 
proud  to  say,  you  have  long  witnessed. 

But,  while  we  mourn  together  for  those  we  have  lost, 
while  I  find  a  consolation  in  the  sight  of  their  relations 
and  friends,  it  is  to  me  a  delightful  gratification  to  rec- 
ognize my  surviving  companions  of  our  Revolutionary 
army,  —  that  army  so  brave,  so  virtuous,  so  united  by 
mutual  confidence  and  affection.     That  we  have  been 


LAFAYETTE.  321 

the  faithful  soldiers  of  independence,  freedom,  and 
equality,  those  three  essential  requisites  of  national 
and  personal  dignity  and  happiness,  —  that  we  have 
lived  to  see  these  sacred  principles  secured  to  this  vast 
Republic,  and  cherished  elsewhere  by  all  generous  minds, 
—  shall  be  the  pride  of  our  life,  the  boast  of  our  chil- 
dren, the  comfort  of  our  last  moments.  Receive,  my 
dear  brother  soldiers,  the  grateful  thanks  and  constant 
love  of  your  old  companion  and  friend. 

And  elsewhere  many  an  old  soldier  of  the  Rev- 
olution took  him  by  the  hand  with  tears  of  joy  at 
the  privilege.  One  of  these  met  him  at  Albany, 
and,  as  he  looked  in  his  face,  said :  — 

General,  I  owe  my  life  to  you  !  I  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Monmouth.  You  visited  me  in  the  hos- 
pital. You  gave  me  two  guineas,  and  one  to  a  person 
to  nurse  me.  To  this  I  owe  my  recovery,  and  may  the 
blessing  of  Heaven  rest  upon  you. 

But  nothing  could  have  tried  Lafayette  like 
that  affecting  scene  when,  one  Sunday  morning, 
he  visited  the  tomb  of  his  dearest  American  friend 
at  Mount  Vernon.  He  is  accompanied  by  the  son- 
in-law  of  Washington.  There  rest  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  one  whom  he  loved  as  he  did  no  other 
beyond  his  own  family,  and  whose  memory  fills 
him  with  a  fresh  veneration.  He  stands  by  the 
grave  of  his  leader  and  exemplar  in  youth,  his 
model  through  life,  and  one  whom  he  hopes  to 
meet  again  at  his  own  not  distant  departure.  On 
this  spot  Mr.  Custis,  adding  another  precious  bond 
to  his  sacred   recollections,  presents  him  with  a 

21 


322  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ring  containing  hair  once  on  the  head  of  the  im- 
mortal Washington. 

But  let  us  now  go  back  to  the  first  appearance 
of  Lafayette  on  our  shores  in  the  Revolution.  His 
reception  in  the  army  was  most  enthusiastic. 
"  The  confidence  and  attachment  of  the  troops," 
says  an  eye-witness,  who  wrote  only  a  year  after- 
ward, "  are  for  him  invaluable  possessions,  but 
what  is  still  more  flattering  for  a  young  man, 
[he  was  then,  we  must  recollect,  only  twenty 
years  old  ]  is  the  influence  and  consideration  he 
has  acquired  among  the  political,  as  well  as  the 
military  order ;  private  letters  from  him  have 
frequently  produced  more  effect  on  some  States 
than  the  strongest  exhortations  of  the  Congress. 
On  seeing  him,  one  is  at  a  loss  which  most  to  ad- 
mire —  that  so  young  a  man  as  he  should  have 
given  such  eminent  proof  of  talents,  or  that  a 
man  so  tried  should  give  hopes  of  so  long  a  ca- 
reer of  glory." 

One  could  hardly  exaggerate  the  esteem  and 
affection  this  French  nobleman  inspired  in  our 
countrymen ;  it  was  surpassed  only  by  their  love 
of  their  illustrious  chief.  He  had  the  secret  of 
winning  all  hearts.  Gentle,  courteous,  frank,  dig- 
nified without  pride,  full  of  zeal  and  activity  in 
our  cause,  entirely  independent  of  the  court  of 
France,  he  secured  at  once  and  uniformly  the 
admiration  and  confidence  of  our  greatest  and  best 
man,  the  head  of  the  army. 

His  example  was  powerful  on  the  young  men  of 


LAFAYETTE.  323 

the  whole  country.  When  Lafayette  lay  wound- 
ed at  Bethlehem  he  was  visited,  among  others, 
by  Charles  Pinckney,  a  member  of  the  First  Pro- 
vincial Congress  from  South  Carolina  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six,  from  whose  pen  came  at  that  pe- 
riod productions  which  would  have  done  honor  to 
the  head,  no  less  than  the  heart  of  the  most  expe- 
rienced statesman  and  purest  politician  of  the  day. 

What  was  true  of  Washington  at  that  crisis 
might,  in  some  respects,  have  been  said  of  Lafa- 
yette. The  remark  of  Rochefoucauld,  that  "  no 
man  is  a  hero  to  his  valet,"  would  not  apply 
to  either  of  these  men.  Those  nearest  to  Wash- 
ington loved  and  respected  him  most.  His  clear 
head  and  disinterested  heart,  the  energy  of  his 
mind  and  his  wise  action,  were  all  but  a  type 
of  the  same  high  qualities  in  Lafayette.  Both 
were  equal  to  great  emergencies.  The  ardor  of 
the  Frenchman  never  blinded  his  understanding, 
never  diminished  his  calm  and  clear  good  sense. 

There  was  a  certain  resemblance  in  the  exterior 
of  the  two  men.  The  fine  figure  of  our  great 
commander  had  its  counterpart  in  the  early  days 
of  our  noble  French  ally.  The  physiognomy  of 
Washington,  mild  and  agreeable,  made  his  face 
attractive.  Neither  grave  nor  familiar,  he  in- 
spired respect  and  he  secured  confidence ;  if  his 
smile  was  rare,  it  was  never  cynical  or  sarcastic, 
but  the  smile  of  benevolence.  All  this  might  be 
said,  from  his  earliest  to  his  latest  day,  of  the  he- 
roic, the  gentle,  and  the  generous  Lafayette. 


324  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

It  is  evident  that  Washington  gained  and  se- 
cured his  vast  influence  largely  through  his  cau- 
tion ;  this  amounted  in  many  cases  to  the  strictest 
secrecy.  Very  few  of  the  men  nearest  in  per- 
son to  him  enjoyed  his  perfect  confidence.  His 
plans  and  operations  were  kept  largely  to  him- 
self. But  Lafayette  from  the  first  secured  the 
confidence  of  his  chief.  That,  in  his  extreme 
youthfulness  as  a  major-general,  he  did  this,  shows 
the  rare  penetration  of  Washington  into  char- 
acter. He  seldom  erred  in  his  judgment  of  men ; 
and  in  this  case  he  seems  to  have  found  a  man,  who, 
to  the  ardor  of  the  Frenchman,  joined  a  sagacity 
and  wisdom  worthy  of  other  and  the  gravest  na- 
tions. He  gave  Lafayette,  for  instance,  at  the  most 
critical  moment,  before  the  engagement  at  Mon- 
mouth, the  honor  and  responsibility  of  confronting 
the  attack  of  the  enemy  until  his  own  army  was 
perfectly  formed  ;  and  the  result  justified  his  re- 
liance upon  him. 

This  confidence  was  justified  by  the  power  La- 
fayette afterward  showed,  when  he  calmed  that 
fearful  mob  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  French  Eevolution.  His  message 
to  Washington,  sent  through  Colonel  Trumbull 
at  that  period,  startles  us  by  its  masterly  pre- 
diction of  scenes  that  actually  followed  in  the 
sequel  of  that  bloody  drama.  The  tender  regard 
and  gratitude  of  Washington  for  Lafayette  was 
shown  in  one  of  his  subsequent  letters  to  him, 
congratulating  his  country  on  the  King's  accept- 


LAFAYETTE.  325 

ance  of  the  constitution  offered  to  him  by  the 
National  Assembly.  After  referring  in  terms  of 
sympathy  and  hope  to  the  condition  of  France  at 
that  moment,  he  closes  in  this  grand  spirit  toward 
Lafayette  personally :  — 

No  one  will  rejoice  in  your  felicity,  and  for  the  no- 
ble and  disinterested  part  you  have  acted,  more  than 
your  sincere  friend  and  truly  affectionate  servant, 

Geo.  Washington. 

This  reliance  and  trust  were  seen  throughout 
their  military  relations,  not  in  the  field  alone,  but 
in  the  camp,  where  Washington  and  his  friend, 
in  their  social  hours,  would  sit  together,  enjoying 
their  wine,  then  the  universal  beverage,  in  modera- 
tion ;  the  nuts,  hard  hickory,  would  fill  up  the 
evening,  a  dish  of  apples  being  the  supplement. 
This  simple  repast,  taken  with  unbent  brow  and 
liberated  speech,  illustrated  and  cemented  the  pe- 
culiar and  lifelong  friendship  of  those  two  men. 

No  sketch  of  Lafayette  is  complete  which  does 
not  present  him  in  his  near  and  special  relations 
to  Washington.  All  personal  reminiscences  of 
the  two  men  by  cotemporary  writers  should  be 
supplemented  by  records  of  these  close  interviews. 
It  is  said  that  Washington  took  at  once  to  Lafay- 
ette when  introduced  to  him,  a  youth  of  nineteen 
who  had  left  his  home,  his  newly  connected  wife, 
his  country,  his  all,  in  the  dark  hour  of  our  early 
struggles  with  one  of  the  mightiest  powers  on 
the   globe    for    freedom  and    national    independ- 


326  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

ence.  The  act  itself  must  have  prepossessed  our 
noble  commander-in-chief;  and  Lafayette's  per- 
sonal appearance  added  to  this  attraction.  His 
cultivated  bearing,  ingenuous  manner,  the  self- 
devotion  and  sacrifice  written  on  every  feature  of 
the  portraits  we  have  of  him  at  that  period  of 
his  life,  no  less  than  his  subsequent  deportment, 
confirmed  the  love  and  respect  of  Washington; 
and  their  friendship  was  strengthened  by  the  gal- 
lant conduct  and  the  faithful  services  of  Lafayette 
to  the  last. 

We  are  fortunate  in  having  descriptions  of  their 
intercourse  written  both  by  American  and  foreign 
witnesses.  One  especially  by  the  Marquis  de 
Chastellux,  a  French  traveller,  brings  before  us 
vividly  an  interview  at  which  Lafayette  was  pres- 
ent with  that  visitor  at  the  quarters  of  Washing- 
ton. We  here  see  the  latter  in  his  military  family 
and  at  his  usual  dinner  table.  His  guest  is  pre- 
sented to  Generals  Knox,  Wayne,  etc.,  and  to 
his  family,  then  composed  of  Colonels  Hamil- 
ton and  Tighlman,  his  secretaries,  and  his  aides- 
de-camp,  and  of  Major  Gibbs,  commander  of  his 
guards.  .  "  I  soon  felt  myself,"  writes  the  Marquis 
de  Chastellux,  "  at  ease  near  the  greatest  and  the 
best  of  men.  The  goodness  and  benevolence 
which  characterize  him  are  evident  from  every- 
thing about  him;  but  the  confidence  he  gives 
birth  to  never  occasions  improper  familiarity." 
The  next  day  Washington  puts  his  army  in  mo- 
tion, including  the  light  infantry,  "  which  were  de- 


LAFAYETTE.  327 

tached  with  the  Marquis  de  Lafaytte."  After  a 
review  of  the  troops,  the  General  proposes  a  visit 
to  the  camp  of  Lafayette,  which  is  accepted,  and 
the  guest  enjoys  the  hospitality  of  the  latter. 
The  party  soon  rejoin  the  quarters  of  General 
Washington,  where  are  "  about  twenty  guests, 
among  them  General  Saint  Clair.  The  repast 
was  in  the  English  fashion,  consisting  of  eight 
or  ten  large  dishes  of  butcher's  meat  and  poul- 
try, with  vegetables  of  several  sorts,  followed  by 
a  second  course  of  pastry,  comprised  under  the 
two  denominations  of  pies  and  puddings."  The 
cloth  is  removed,  and  apples  and  a  great  quantity 
of  nuts  are  served,  which  General  Washington 
usually  continues  eating  for  about  two  hours. 
"  These  nuts  are  small  and  dry,  and  have  so  hard 
a  shell  [hickory  nuts]  that  they  can  only  be 
broken  by  the  hammer ;  they  are  served  half- 
open,  and  the  company  are  never  done  picking 
and  eating  them.  The  conversation  was  calm  and 
agreeable.  His  Excellency  was  pleased  to  enter 
with  me  into  the  particulars  of  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal operations  of  the  war,  but  always  with 
a  modesty  and  conciseness  which  proved  that  it 
was  from  pure  complaisance  he  mentioned  it. " 
The  drinking  of  wine,  the  prolonged  toasting,  I 
omit,  adding  —  what  is  a  more  pleasant  circum- 
stance to  us,  with  our  present  social  customs  and 
habits  —  the  testimony  of  a  foreigner  :  "  But  to  do 
justice  to  the  Americans,  they  themselves  feel  the 
ridicule  of  these  customs,  borrowed  from  Old  Eng- 
land, and  since  laid  aside  by  her." 


328  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

It  was  not  unusual  for  the  British  to  speak  with 
contempt  of  Lafayette  when  he  joined  our  army, 
on  account  of  his  youth.  When  Lord  Cornwallis 
took  command  of  the  British  forces  in  Virginia  he 
felt  himself  so  superior  to  the  Americans  that  he 
triumphed  in  his  prospect  of  success.  Despising 
the  youth  of  his  opponent,  Lafayette,  he  unguard- 
edly wrote  to  Great  Britain,  The  boy  cannot 
escape  me.  This  boy,  in  the  sequel,  sent  Gen- 
eral Wayne,  with  about  three  hundred  Penn- 
sylvania riflemen,  to  watch  the  British  army  in 
Virginia ;  and  soon  we  read  that,  "with  a  handful 
of  Pennsylvanians,  he  frightened  into  a  retreat  the 
whole  of  Cornwallis's  army  of  undaunted  Britons." 

One  who  saw  Lafayette  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  says :  "  He  is  nearly  six  feet  high,  large 
but  not  corpulent.  He  is  not  very  elegant  in 
form,  his  shoulders  being  broad  and  high,  nor  is 
there  a  perfect  symmetry  in  his  features ;  his  fore- 
head is  remarkably  high,  his  nose  large  and  long, 
eyebrows  prominent  and  projecting  over  a  fine, 
animated,  hazel  eye.  His  countenance  is  interest- 
ing and  impressive.  He  converses  in  broken  Eng- 
lish, and  displays  the  manners  and  address  of  an 
accomplished  gentleman." 

An  eye-witness,  who  saw  Lafayette  after  he  was 
brought  on  a  litter  from  the  Brandywine  battle, 
contrasts  his  appearance  at  that  time  and  at  the  pe- 
riod of  his  visit  to  this  country  by  invitation  from 
Congress.  "  He  was  then  tall  and  slender,  and  of 
a  rather  light  complexion.     After  a  lapse  of  forty- 


LAFAYETTE.  329 

seven  years  I  again  met  him,  a  few  days  after  his 
landing  at  New  York,  in  August,  1824.  It  was  with 
difficulty  I  could  realize  him  to  be  the  same  man 
I  had  seen  almost  a  half-century  before  at  Bethle- 
hem. I  could  scarcely  discover  the  slightest  resem- 
blance. Age,  wounds,  and  care  had  completely 
metamorphosed  him  in  person  and  features." 

There  are,  or  have  been,  those  who,  infected  by 
the  old  English  prejudices,  which,  I  regret  to  say, 
have  not  yet  wholly  died  out,  call  Lafayette  "  a 
weak  man."  Even  Washington  had  enemies  in 
his  lifetime,  who  on  certain  occasions  charged 
him  with  indecision  and  a  want  of  energy.  Men  of 
great  wisdom,  calmness,  and  deliberation  are  often 
subject  to  this  reproach.  But  time  rebuts  such 
groundless  accusations.  Looking  in  the  worn  face 
of  Lafayette,  and  recalling  his  noble  past,  one 
could  not  but  repeat  the  fitting  tribute, 

"  E'en  in  their  ashes  live  their  wonted  fires." 

What  a  history  gathered  about  that  failing 
form.  Looking  recently  at  his  portrait,  painted,  I 
think,  by  order  of  Washington,  which  represents 
him  as  he  appeared  when  he  volunteered,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  to  serve  without  pay  in  the  cause 
of  the  American  Revolution,  I  could  not  conceive 
of  him  as  a  "  weak "  man.  It  is  a  face  which, 
although  gentle  and  instinct  with  kindness,  is  full 
of  fire,  energy,  and  resolution. 

If  you  doubt  his  force  and  decision  of  character, 
see  him  in  the  great  struggle  at  Yorktown.     This 


330  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

is  the  account  we  have  "  from  the  narrative  of  an 
old  soldier  of  the  American  army,  who  was  met 
by  M.  Levaseur  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yorktown 
in  1824,"  and  was  himself  an  eye-witness  of  and 
took  part  in  the  engagement  which  he  describes. 

October  1781,  after  five  days'  contest,  in  which 
Washington  put  the  match  to  the  first  gun  him- 
self, the  British  were  left  masters  of  no  external 
works  except  two  large  redoubts ;  these  Washing- 
ton determined  to  take.  Lafayette,  at  the  head  of 
the  American  light  infantry,  was  ordered  to  at- 
tack the  redoubt  on  the  left  of  the  besieged  troops. 
He  thought  nothing  but  a  bold  and  rapid  onset 
would  enable  young  soldiers,  like  his,  to  carry  en- 
trenchments defended  by  disciplined  troops.  He 
formed  his  men  in  solid  column,  ordered  the  whole 
of  his  division  at  the  word  of  command  to  fire ; 
he  then  headed  them  himself,  and,  supported  by 
the  proffered  aid  of  the- noble  and  intrepid  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  charged,  sword  in  hand,  through 
the  mounds  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  fire,  forced 
his  way  into  the  redoubt  and  in  a  few  minutes 
carried  it,  with  the  loss  of  only  a  handful  of  men. 

Cornwallis,  on  the  17th,  demanded  a  parley, 
and  on  the  19th  surrendered  his  army;  in  the 
presence  of  Generals  Rochambeau  and  Lafay- 
ette, his  sword  was  delivered,  through  the  gallant 
O'Hara,  to  Washington.  It  is  a  singular  coinci- 
dence that,  in  1824,  forty-three  years  after  this 
battle,  Lafayette  was  in  Yorktown,  and  stopped 
at  the  very  house  then   occupied  by  Cornwallis, 


LAFAYETTE.  661 

and  the  rooms  were  lighted  by  a  remnant  of  the 
same  wax  candles  once  used  by  Cornwallis. 

Nothing  is  more  touching,  as  a  proof  of  the 
heroism  of  Lafayette,,  and  the  attachment  and 
bravery  of  his  soldiers  at  that  siege,  than  his  meet- 
ing on  that  spot,  in  1824,  one  of  the  veteran  sur- 
vivors of  that  battle,  who,  seizing  the  General  by 
the  hand,  exclaimed  :  "  I  was  with  you  at  York- 
town  ;  I  entered  yonder  redoubt  at  your  side.  I 
too,  was  at  the  side  of  the  gallant  De  Kalb,  your 
associate  in  arms,  when  he  fell  in  the  field."  The 
tears  poured  from  his  eyes  as  Lafayette,  showing 
his  emotion,  said,  "  Yes,  my  brave  soldier,  I  am 
happy  to  have  lived  to  meet  you  once  more." 

Indeed  the  single  fact  that  Washington  took 
Lafayette,  almost  from  the  first,  to  his  bosom  con- 
fidence, speaks  volumes  for  the  force,  as  well  as 
sweetness  of  his  character. 

His  heroism  never  shone  forth  on  the  battle- 
field more  brightly  than  it  did  at  one  moment  in 
the  Eeign  of  Terror  in  his  own  country.  He 
has  braved  the  excited  mob  in  his  place  with  the 
National  Guard.  The  hour  has  come  when  the 
King  is  to  be  murdered.  Lafayette  stands  by  him, 
never  more  calm  than  at  this  fearful  moment ;  but 
even  the  mad  populace  are  awe-struck  when  they 
see  him  step  forward,  take  the  Queen's  hand,  and 
kiss  it.     Truly  this  is  the  "  hero  of  two  worlds  !  " 

The  whole  connection  of  Lafayette  with  our 
country  seems,  as  we  review  it,  like  a  romance.  He 
no    sooner   learns    the    character   of   the    war   in 


332  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

America  than  he  resolves  to  offer  his  services  in 
our  cause ;  he  asks  Franklin,  one  of  our  commis- 
sioners in  Paris,  to  secure  him  a  passage  in  the 
first  public  ship  sent  to  our  shores.  He  replies, 
"  we  have  not  the  means  or  the  credit  to  procure  a 
vessel  in  all  the  ports  of  France."  "  Then,"  says 
the  youthful  hero,  "  I  will  provide  my  own." 
And  when  our  country  was  too  poor  to  offer  him  a 
passage  to  America,  he  left  all  the  wealth  and  hon- 
ors before  him,  and  hastened  to  our  aid,  offering 
generously  to  serve  without  pay.  He  left  a 
home  of  plenty  and  peace,  and  plunged  into  our 
scenes  of  poverty  and  blood.  From  the  camp  at 
Valley  Forge  he  writes  his  wife :  "  We  are  in 
small  barracks  which  are  scarcely  more  cheerful 
than  dungeons."  The  men  had  made  these  huts 
of  logs  and  mud,  and  there  this  noble  man,  wTith 
Greene,  Steuben,  and  other  officers  of  high  rank, 
passed  one  of  the  dreariest  winters  of  the  whole 
war. 

Contrast  that  day  of  small  things,  and  of  the 
darkest  prospects,  with  the  period,  when,  after 
forty  years,  he  revisits  our  country.  He  lands  at 
New  York  amid  shouts  and  national  salutes ;  he 
visits  the  east ;  Boston  sends  her  greeting  in  the 
form  of  an  immense  military  array,  and  twelve 
hundred  horsemen  as  an  escort.  He  is  borne  five 
thousand  miles  in  triumph  from  Maine  to  Florida, 
in  relays  of  vehicles  —  it  is  before  the  day  of  rail- 
ways—  until  he  again  reaches  Boston  to  join  in 
the  magnificent  celebration   of  the  fiftieth    anni- 


LAFAYETTE.  333 

versary  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Soon  every 
one  of  us  puts  on  his  badge  inscribed  "  Welcome, 
Lafayette."  Our  theatres  cannot  go  on  with  their 
ordinary  performances  unless  they  sing  odes  in  his 
praise.  The  following  verse  was  inscribed  on  a 
banner  hung  across  Washington  Street,  at  the 
corner  of  Dover  Street,  when  Lafayette  entered 
Boston  :  — 

The  fathers  in  glory  shall  sleep, 

That  gathered  with  thee  to  the  fight ; 
But  the  sons  will  eternally  keep 
The  tablet  of  gratitude  bright. 
We  bow  not  the  neck  ;  we  beud  not  the  knee  : 
But  our  hearts,  Lafayette,  we  surrender  to  thee ! 

This  was  a  selection  from  the  now  historic  ode 
by  Charles  Sprague,  which  was  that  day  sung  for 
the  first  time,  and  which  roused  my  heart  as  I 
listened  to  its  stirring  strains. 

When  Lafayette  had  completed  his  more  than 
regal  progress  over  our  borders,  he  returned  again 
to  his  home.  At  length,  full  of  years  and  honors, 
"  his  silver  temples  were  laid  in  their  last  repose." 
Memorable  was  the  scene  of  his  burial  at  Paris  in 
the  cemetery  of  Picpus,  where,  by  his  request  his 
body  was  placed  by  the  side  of  Madame  de  Lafay- 
ette's. No  words  were  uttered,  the  tears  and  sobs 
of  his  friends  bearing  sufficient  testimony  to  his 
worth.  After  the  customary  prayers  the  earth 
sent  from  America  was  mingled  with  that  of  his 
loved  nation ;  muskets  were  discharged  in  honor  of 
his  military  rank,  and  the  throng,  not  the  rich  and 


334  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

titled  alone,  but  the  humble  poor  whom  he  had 
blest,  turned  a  last  sad  look  to  the  spot  where  he 
rested,  while  a  few  of  his  kindred  paused,  loath 
to  quit  that  garden  of  death,  the  gateway  of 
immortality. 

After  the  tidings  of  his  departure  had  reached 
us  we  gathered  in  Faneuil  Hall  to  listen  to  the  eu- 
logy of  Everett  which  thrilled  all  hearts,  as  he 
alone  could,  on  such  occasions.  I  remember  well 
the  moment  when  he  turned  to  that  grand  picture 
of  Washington  by  Stuart  and  exclaimed,  "  Speak, 
glorious  Washington,  break  the  long  silence  of 
that  votive  canvas ;  "  and  then,  apostrophizing  the 
bust  of  Lafayette  that  stood  on  the  platform  be- 
fore him,  he  pressed  on  with  these  electric  words : 
"  Speak,  speak,  marble  lips,  teach  us  the  love  of 
liberty  protected  by  law."  A  chastened  rapture, 
accompanied  by  tears,  ran  through  every  heart  ; 
and  the  vast  audience,  as  we  gazed  on  the  features 
of  Washington,  almost  felt  that  those  lips  would 
respond  to  the  orator's  appeal,  and  bid  us  be  sons 
worthy  our  sires. 

We  may  never  forget  that  while  we  owe  it  to 
many  others  in  France,  who  united  with  him, 
that  our  independence  was  at  last  secured, — to  the 
valiant  Rochambeau,  whose  arrival  in  America 
gave  Washington  a  joy  second  only  to  that  he  felt 
at  the  coming  of  Lafayette,  and  who  with  his  six 
thousand  men  had  a  large  share  in  forcing  Corn- 
wallis  to  capitulate  at  Yorktown,  October  19, 1781, 
and  to  De  Grasse  for  his  most  timely  naval   assist- 


LAFAYETTE.  335 

ance,  —  there  was  one  other  to  whom  our  debt  is 
inferior  only  to  our  unmeasured  obligations  to 
Washington  himself.  No  ordinary  memorials 
should  satisfy  the  hearts  of  the  American  people, 
when  they  turn  to  the  sacrifices  of  this  man  in  our 
cause.  It  was  a  touching  tribute  that  a  few  of 
our  citizens  offered  to  the  memory  of  our  great 
benefactor  a  few  years  ago.  Being  at  Paris  on  the 
return  of  our  autumnal  Thanksgiving,  they  went 
out  of  the  thronged  city,  and,  taking  a  wreath  of 
immortelles,  laid  it  tenderly  and  reverently  on  the 
simple  tomb  of  Lafayette,  which  is  in  the  burying- 
ground  of  the  convent  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. 

One  debt  still  remains  to  be  paid  to  our  illustri- 
ous friend  and  ally.  We  have  sought  to  honor  him 
and  perpetuate  his  fame  in  many  ways,  by  naming 
our  children  for  him,  by  calling  streets  and  towns 
after  him,  by  blending  his  history  closely  with  our 
own  at  very  many  points.  But  while  others  have 
had  this  distinction  shown  them,  not  more  entitled 
to  it  than  he,  not  a  single  statue  worthy  of  him  has 
yet  been  erected  in  his  honor.  The  University  of 
Vermont  proposes  (1882),  and  is  the  first  to  pro- 
pose, paying  him  this  long-delayed  tribute.  These 
centennial  years  should  not  all  pass  without  some 
testimonial  of  this  kind  being  at  least  initiated  in 
the  Capital  of  our  country.  Let  this  be  done 
promptly  and  unitedly  by  this  widespread  nation. 
In  this  way  —  and  when  our  cities  and  the  people 
at  large   pour  out  their  gifts  in  this  offering  to  our 


336 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


foremost  friend  and  helper  in  the  day  of  our  ex- 
treme need  —  we  shall  demonstrate  to  the  world 
that  a  republic  can  be  and  is  grateful  to  one  of  its 
noblest  benefactors. 


MOUNT    VERNON. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

EMERSON   THE  PATRIOT. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  born  May  25,  1803, 
whose  death,  April  27,  1882,  was  so  recently 
recorded,  demands  a  prominent  notice  in  these 
pages,  partly  for  his  Revolutionary  family.  Within 
a  half-century  the  most  varying  epithets  have  been 
applied  to  him.  In  his  early  life  admired  as  a 
preacher,  denounced  ere  long  as  a  heretic,  to-day 
his  numerous  eulogists  give  him  diverse  desig- 
nations. Men  of  all  denominations  unite  in  call- 
ing him  a  prophet,  and  —  if  not  altogether  yet 
almost  —  a  Christian.  Thinker,  genius,  philo- 
sopher, poet,  essayist,  leader,  and  king  in  how 
many  realms,  there  is  one  more  name  which  I 
think  he  richly  deserves.  He  was,  by  eminence, 
a  Patriot. 

He  stood  in  the  eighth  generation,  on  both 
father's  and  mother's  side,  in  the  clerical  line.  He 
bore  marks  of  this  lineage  so  clear  that  all  who 
knew  or  saw  him  perceived,  in  his  air  and  manner, 
traces,  never  to  be  eliminated,  of  the  clergyman. 
With  equal  distinctness,  under  the  great  law  of  he- 
redity,  he  showed  himself  a   genuine  American. 

22 


338  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Wherever  the  interests  of  his  country  were  at  stake, 
he  spoke  and  acted  his  part  well.  The  spirit  of  the 
Revolution  was  born  and  bred  in  him  through  his 
ancestry.  On  the  father's  side,  his  grandfather, 
William  Emerson,  after  being  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Concord  about  ten  years,  resigned  his  office, 
August  16,  1776,  and  joined  the  American  army 
at  Ticonderoga  as  chaplain.  Attacked  by  disease, 
he  was  led  by  advice  of  his  physician,  to  relinquish 
that  office,  and,  while  attempting  to  return  home, 
he  died  on  the  way  at  Rutland,  Vermont,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three  years,  and  was  buried  with 
military  honors. 

No  one  who  knew  them  both  could  fail  to  re- 
mark the  indebtedness  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  to 
his  mother.  Frederika  Bremer,  after  her  visit  at 
his  house,  writes  of  him  :  "  He  is  a  born  noble- 
man." An  acquaintance  with  the  mother  makes 
us  feel  the  truth  and  force  of  these  words.  I  can 
never  quite  separate  the  two  in  memory.  What 
intelligence,  what  sweetness,  what  wisdom,  what 
strength  of  character,  met  in  that  fortunate  wo- 
man. The  figure  and  the  face  of  the  parent  fore- 
shadowed what  was  developed  in  the  child.  Of 
commanding  aspect,  and  yet  most  modest,  she 
claimed  very  little,  but  received  ready  attention. 
The  dark,  liquid  eye  and  benevolent  smile  once 
seen  could  never  be  forgotten.  The  queen  of 
her  household,  and  fitted  to  grace  larger  positions, 
self-possessed  and  dignified,  she  moved  forward 
with  equal  step,  sensitive,  placid,  serene,  —  toward 


EMERSON    THE    PATRIOT.  339 

man  kind  and  sincere,  and  toward  her  Father 
on  high  (none  could  doubt  it)  loyal,  loving  and 
devout. 

Mr.  Emerson's  mother  married,  as  her  second 
husband,  Rev.  Ezra  Ripley,  minister  of  Concord, 
who  was  filled  with  the  fire  of  the  Revolution,  and 
by  deeds,  if  not  arms,  took  a  most  able  part  in 
sustaining  the  cause  of  his  country  at  that  trying 
crisis.  Mary  Emerson,  one  of  this  family  in  its 
direct  line,  married  William  Cogswell  of  Concord, 
who  was  in  the  American  army  at  Cambridge  in 
1776,  and  also  in  1778  at  Rhode  Island. 

With  such  a  lineage  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 
could  not  but  be  inspired  with  an  undying  interest 
in  the  history  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
Read  his  hymn  for  the  celebration  of  the  inau- 
guration of  the  Concord  monument,  April  19, 1836. 
These  immortal  lines  have  stirred  patriotic  hearts 
down  to  this  hour  :  — 


By  the  rude  bridge  that  arched  the  flood, 
Their  flag  to  April  breeze  unfurled, 
Here  ouce  the  embattled  farmers  stood, 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world. 


Spirit  that  made  these  heroes  dare 
To  die,  and  leave  their  children  free, 
Bid  time  and  nature  gently  spare 
The  shaft  we  raise  to  them  and  thee. 


And  his  patriotic  effusions  were  not  limited  to 
his  own  immediate  locality.     They  embraced  with 


340  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

equal  ardor  his  State  —  as  testified  by  the  verse 
that  follows  —  and  his  whole  country  :  — 

As  in  the  day  of  sacrifice, 
When  heroes  piled  the  pyre, 
The  dismal  Massachusetts  ice 
Burned  more  than  others'  fire. 

We  cannot  doubt  that  the  father  of  Mr.  Emer- 
son, born  in  1769;  as  a  boy  in  his  first  fourteen 
years  to  the  close  of  the  war  in  1783,  must  have 
been  aroused  to  a  sympathy  in  the  Revolutionary 
zeal  all  around  him,  and  transmitted  it  in  after  life 
to  young  Waldo.  And  living,  too,  in  his  child- 
hood in  Boston,  he  must  often  have  gone  to  hear 
sermons  and  orations  on  liberty  in  the  renowned 
Old  South  Church.  William  Emerson,  when  min- 
ister at  Harvard,  preached  the  Artillery  Election 
sermon  in  Boston,  and  without  doubt  it  was  its 
eloquent  and  patriotic  strains  which  so  stirred 
members  of  the  First  Church,  that  it  led  to  his  call 
as  pastor  to  that  society.  This  was  "  the  first 
instance,"  said  his  aggrieved  Harvard  people,  "  in 
which  one  society  stole  a  minister  from  another." 

My  recollection  of  Emerson  extends  back  to  his 
seventeenth  year,  when  I  entered  Harvard  College, 
he  being  then  in  the  senior  class.  His  fine  face 
and  figure  attracted  the  attention  of  us  Freshmen ; 
his  poem  on  Class  Day  gave  indication  of  his  future 
success  in  verse,  no  less  than  prose  ;  and  his  elo- 
quent words  in  his  "  conference  part  "  at  commence- 
ment, on  the  "  Character  of  John  Knox  "  indicated 


EMERSON    THE    PATRIOT.  341 

in  simple,  terse,  and  forcible  periods  the  claims  of 
the  great  Scottish  reformer.  In  1826  Mr.  Emer- 
son began  to  preach  ;  and  it  was  while  he  occupied 
a  room  in  Divinity  Hall,  that,  as  his  neighbor  in 
the  same  building,  I  became  personally  acquainted 
with  him.  He  had  then,  as  ever,  great  faith  in 
the  promptings  of  nature,  which  gave  him  a  strong 
individuality.  I  saw  clearly,  from  that  time,  that 
Mr.  Emerson  was  to  be  a  marked  man,  in  private 
as  in  public.  His  language  was  keen  and  piquant 
in  conversation,  no  less  than  in  his  writings.  Speak- 
ing of  one   in  the  building,  he  said,   "  S is 

queer  :   he  talks  in  scraps." 

He  was  sought  as  a  candidate  for  many  pulpits. 
A  new  society  had  been  formed  in  Boston,  and 
four  preachers  were  asked  to  fill  the  desk  for  suc- 
cessive Sundays,  that  one  of  them  might  be  se- 
lected as  a  candidate  for  settlement.  Mr.  Emerson 
was  invited  to  preach  on  one  of  these  Sundays. 
Referring  to  this  circumstance,  I  asked  him  which 
day  he  should  accept :  "  I  shall  decline  to  go  at 
all,"  was  his  prompt  reply ;  "  this  competition  is 
rather  too  close."  His  conceptions  of  personal 
dignity  and  self-respect  were  here,  as  everywhere, 
very  delicate;  and  his  manner,  though  modest, 
could  be  pronounced  and  decided.  He  was  some- 
times thought  by  strangers  to  be  proud.  Nothing 
was  more  unjust.  I  have  heard  him  speak  to  a 
domestic  in  his  house  with  as  much  kindness  and 
consideration  as  he  would  manifest  to  a  near  mem- 
ber of  his  own  family. 


342  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

He  was  settled  as  colleague  pastor  with  Rev. 
Henry  Ware,  in  the  Second  Church  of  Boston. 
During  his  ministry,  after  Mr.  Ware  had  resigned 
and  become  a  professor  in  the  Cambridge  Divinity 
School,  Mr.  Emerson  married  me  to  a  member  of 
his  society.  I  can  never  forget  the  impressive 
manner  in  which  that  service  was  performed ;  and 
the  remembrance  of  that  hour,  to  which  he  often 
referred  with  his  genial  smile  when  we  met,  has 
been  to  me  no  ordinary  privilege  and  pleasure. 

When  Mr.  Emerson  resigned  his  office  as  pas- 
tor, many  hearts  were  grieved  at  the  cause  of  it, 
while  every  one  accorded  him  praise  for  his  sin- 
cerity and  conscientiousness.  He  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  communion  service  was  not  in- 
tended to  be  a  perpetual  rite,  and  not  believing  in 
its  value  and  efficacy,  he  made  known  to  his  church 
that  he  could  no  longer  conscientiously  administer 
this  ordinance.  They  differed  from  him  so  decid- 
edly in  regard  to  its  authority  and  value  that  he 
felt  constrained,  on  this  account,  finally  to  resign 
his  office,  and  with  a  tender  farewell,  in  the  tone 
of  which  with  one  heart  they  united,  he  left  his 
society. 

Soon  he  became  noticed  for  his  suspected 
heresies,  and  I  recollect  witnessing  the  effect  of 
his  standing  which  showed  itself  on  one  particular 
occasion.  At  the  annual  Unitarian  festival,  among 
those  invited  to  give  addresses  was  Father  Tay- 
lor, of  the  Methodist  Bethel  Church  in  Boston. 
"  You   Unitarians,"   he  said   in  his   speech,    "  are 


EMERSON    THE    PATRIOT.  343 

awfully  honest What  is  to  become  of  your 

heretic  Emerson  ?  I  don't  know  where  he  will  go 
when  he  dies.  He  is  hardly  good  enough  to  be 
accepted  in  Heaven,  and  yet  (the  dear  creature) 
Satan  wouldn't  know  what  to  do  with  him." 

Waldo  Emerson  might  have  drawn  something 
of  his  moral  bravery  from  his  renowned  ancestor, 
Peter  Waldo,  the  founder,  in  the  twelfth  century, 
of  the  noble  old  Waldenses.  That  Christian  hero 
exhibited  his  moral  independence  by  so  far  de- 
parting from  the  faith  of  the  Romish  Church  that 
in  1184  he  and  his  followers  were  formally  excom- 
municated by  Pope  Lucius  III. 

Mr.  Emerson  felt  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  the  life  and  health  of  our  nation.  One  of 
our  best  critics  says  of  him :  "  He  is  the  most  re- 
publican of  republicans."  Lowell  the  poet,  in  an 
admirable  notice  of  Emerson,  affirms  that  "  to 
him,  more  than  to  all  other  causes,  did  the  young 
martyrs  of  our  Civil  War  owe  the  sustaining 
strength  and  thoughtful  heroism  that  is  so  touching 
in  every  record  of  their  lives."  In  a  letter  writ- 
ten during  that  sad  yet  needful  struggle  Emerson 
gives  this  decided  testimony  of  a  custom  of  na- 
tions, which,  although  as  yet  almost  universal,  is 
abhorrent  to  some  of  the  best  instincts  of  our 
higher  nature :  "  I  shall  always  respect  war  here- 
after. The  cost  of  life,  the  dreary  havoc  of  com- 
fort and  time,  are  overpaid  by  the  vistas  it  opens 
of  eternal  life,  eternal  law,  reconstructing  and 
uplifting  society,  —  breaks  up  the  old  horizon,  and 
we  see  through  the  rifts  a  wider." 


344  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

All  his  essays,  notably  those  on  Character,  Poli- 
tics, and  New  England  Reforms,  one  in  the  " Atlan- 
tic," entitled,  "  American  Civilization,"  and  that 
read  in  the  Old  South,  February,  1878,  entitled 
"  Fortune  of  the  Republic,"  abundantly  show  his 
public  spirit.  He  aided  every  measure  designed 
to  educate  the  community  in  liberal  principles, 
broad  views,  and  a  thorough  personal  culture. 
"  We    should    cling,"  said    he,   "  to   the    common 

school Let  us  educate  every  soul."      He 

thought  highly  of  the  system  of  public  lectures, 
and  gave  at  least  three  for  the  purchase  of  the 
Old  South  Church,  as  a  memorial  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. To  the  Lyceum  in  his  own  town,  Concord, 
he  gave,  during  his  life,  one  hundred  lectures.  I 
recall  an  occasion,  when,  after  my  reading  in  that 
Lyceum  a  lecture  on  the  importance  of  training 
and  securing  good  teachers  for  our  public  schools, 
he,  in  his  earnest  manner,  said  to  me,  u  A  good 
teacher  is  as  rare  as  a  good  poet." 

It  was  a  treat  to  attend  the  lectures  of  Mr. 
Emerson.  He  gave,  in  successive  winter  seasons, 
in  Boston  and  other  cities,  beginning  in  1834,  for 
many  years,  some  forty  or  fifty  different  lectures, 
and  often  whole  courses.  It  was  a  special  plea- 
sure to  listen  to  him  year  by  year.  At  first,  by 
his  quaint,  terse,  and  richly  laden  sentences,  he 
seemed  to  perplex  some  of  our  wisest  men.  I 
sat,  one  evening,  quite  near  the  Hon.  Jeremiah 
Mason,  —  a  man  who  could  penetrate  into  the 
deepest  depths  of  the  law  so  long  as  the  speaker 


EMERSON    THE    PATRIOT.  345 

or  writer  kept  to  the  "  dry  light."  But  Emerson, 
I  saw,  sorely  tried  him.  Two  ladies  by  his  side 
evidently  enjoyed  every  word  they  heard.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Mason,  it  is  said,  being  asked  how 
he  liked  Emerson,  replied:  "Oh,  I  couldn't  under- 
stand him  at  all.  You  must  ask  my  daughters 
about  him ;  they  took  it  all  in." 

Meeting  him  one  day,  after  one  of  his  lectures, 
at  the  store  of  Little  &  Brown,  where  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  and  others  were  present,  we  were  express- 
ing our  satisfaction  at  what  we  had  heard  from 
him,  when  Dr.  Francis  remarked :  "  You  must 
have  spent  a  long  time  in  preparing  your  lectures, 
they  are  so  full  of  thought  and  of  historical  mate- 
rial." "  Oh,  no,"  said  Mr.  Emerson ;  "  I  never 
write  until  I  am  driven  to  it  by  the  time  each 
week."  And  sometimes,  while  listening  to  his 
lectures,  they  seemed  almost  extemporaneous. 
They  struck  one  as  full  of  thoughts  entirely  fresh 
and  original,  and  in  some  passages  as  if  the  inspi- 
ration of  the  hour.  There  was  sometimes,  in  the 
beginning  of  a  sentence,  a  little  hesitancy,  as  if  he 
was  waiting  for  a  word  or  words  to  be  given  him 
for  utterance  at  the  moment.  Still  they  must  have 
been,  we  know,  the  result  of  long  premeditation 
as  well  as  extensive  reading.  If  there  was  ever 
an  appearance  of  disregard  of  manner  in  his  utter- 
ances, this  was  not  true  of  him.  I  recollect  hear- 
ing him,  while  he  was  a  student  in  Divinity  Hall, 
reading  aloud,  evidently  for  the  benefit  of  his 
voice  ;    and  he  would  occasionally  take  up  a  vol- 


346  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

ume  from  his  table  in  which  he  had  the  speeches 
of  Webster  and  Everett  bound  together.  "  Ever- 
ett/' he  once  said  to  me,  "  is  a  great  word- 
catcher." 

Mr.  Emerson's  interest  in  antislavery  was  pro- 
found and  unremitting.  I  remember  only  one 
instance  in  which  his  sweet  serenity  seemed  for 
an  instant  to  leave  him.  After  the  execution  of 
John  Brown,  a  meeting  was  called  in  Boston  for 
indignant  denunciation  of  that  act.  Mr.  Emerson 
was  one  of  the  speakers.  Sitting  quite  near  the 
platform  and  in  front  of  him,  I  saw  his  face  wore 
a  passing  shade  and  a  slight  frown,  as  if  the  terror 
of  the  deed  we  had  met  to  consider  and  comment 
upon  was  too  great  for  human  endurance. 

Mr.  Emerson  always  took  the  broadest  view  of 
every  subject  before  him.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
Sunday-school  Society  in  Concord,  a  few  years 
since,  the  people  opened  their  houses  liberally, 
and  invited  those  at  the  church  to  dine  with  them. 
The  invitation  to  his  table  was  most  cordial.  It 
gives  one  no  ordinary  pleasure  to  be  told,  under 
such  a  roof,  that  his  name  is  "  familiar  as  house- 
hold words."  And  the  country  was  not  forgotten, 
for  I  noticed  under  each  plate  was  a  slip  on  which 
was  written  "  National  Unitarian  Sunday-school 
Convention." 

In  a  book  on  the  families  of  men  of  the  Kevolu- 
tion  it  would  be  unjust  to  pass  by  another  name, 
associated  with  his  own,  —  that  of  his  brother, 
Edward    Bliss    Emerson,    a   college    classmate    of 


EMEKSON    THE    PATRIOT.  347 

mine.  He  bore  a  name  honored  in  American 
history,  and  especially  so  in  his  brother,  since 
then  of  world-wide  fame.  Had  his  life  been  pro- 
longed, he  would  have  given  to  that  name  an  en- 
hanced and  imperishable  lustre.  I  see  him  to-day 
as  then,  more  than  half  a  century  ago,  gifted  with 
rare  personal  beauty,  an  eye  large  and  beaming 
with  genius,  and  a  face  radiant  not  more  with  a 
surpassing  intellect  than  a  fascinating  sweetness. 
He  had  a  mind  uniting  strength  and  fertile  re- 
sources, and  even  then  stored  with  ample  reading, 
a  character  manly  and  influential,  and  a  rever- 
ence for  divine  things  seldom  equalled  at  his  age. 
I  recall  an  oration  of  his  at  one  of  our  "  exhibi- 
tions," mature  in  thought,  sparkling  with  illustra- 
tion, full  of  Scriptural  allusions,  and  delivered  with 
a  grace  and  power  which  showed  him  destined  to 
stand  in  the  front  rank,  as  of  scholarship,  so  of 
oratory.  Alas  that,  within  the  brief  space  of  ten 
years,  the  frail  body  overmastered  by  a  peerless 
although  at  last  clouded  intellect,  he  passed  on, 
and  left  an  irremovable  shadow  over  the  class 
of  1824  ! 

Meeting  Mr.  Emerson  occasionally  toward  his 
last  days,  and  finally  at  the  funeral  of  a  kindred  po- 
etic genius,  the  lamented  Longfellow,  —  children's 
friend,  and  a  friend  honored  and  cherished  wher- 
ever our  language  is  spoken,  —  I  saw  no  change, 
save  that  the  smile  of  his  youth  and  manhood  had 
become  sweeter  with  his  approaching  end,  and  the 
grasp    of  his   hand    had    become   warmer.      And 


348 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


when,  at  his  own  so  soon  following  obsequies,  I 
looked  on  that  noble  form,  fitly  robed  in  his  angel 
apparel  of  white,  the  placid  face  spoke  of  the 
upper  serenities  in  which  he  had  trusted,  and  on 
which  he  had  now  entered. 


JAMES    RUSSELL    LOWELL. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   SOLDIER   OF  THE   REVOLUTION". 

These  pages  have  been  devoted  largely  to  the 
officers  of  the  Revolutionary  army.  I  think,  in  a 
work  of  this  description,  we  ought  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  men  who  constituted  the  rank  and 
file  of  our  military  forces.  The  common  soldier, 
who  did  his  work  well  in  a  subordinate  position,  de- 
serves a  distinct  notice  in  the  annals  of  that 
period.  What  could  the  ablest  general  have  ac- 
complished without  the  support  of  the  men  in 
each  separate  command  below  him,  as  they  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  in  the  ranks  ? 

We  are  hardly  aware  of  the  disadvantages  un- 
der which  our  officers  were  placed,  at  many  points 
of  the  contest,  in  regard  to  the  forces  under  their 
command.  The  British  army  was  made  up,  not 
only  of  good  officers,  but  of  men  who  had  been 
thoroughly  drilled  and  fitted  for  the  service; 
while  our  army  was  composed  largely  of  raw 
troops,  coming  from  the  farm  or  the  workshop, 
with  no  military  discipline  or  experience.  They 
were  destitute  even  of  common  clothing  in  many 
cases,  provided  with  no   proper  arms,  and  in  no 


350  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

sense  fitted  for  the  stern  tasks  before  them. 
They  were  placed  at  once  in  the  front,  obliged  to 
meet  a  foe  accustomed  to  war  and  at  home  on  the 
battle-field.  They  enlisted  usually  for  short  terms, 
and  frequently  they  had  hardly  time  to  learn  the 
alphabet  of  military  tactics  before  their  term  of 
service  expired.  Taken  sometimes  into  a  new 
country,  and  scenes  quite  new  to  them,  they  could 
not  adapt  themselves  readily  to  their  position,  and 
experienced  all  the  hardships  of  war  without  any 
of  its  palliating  circumstances.  In  some  cases, 
while  their  officers  had  comforts  in  their  tents  and 
on  their  table,  the  privates  were  compelled  to  sleep 
without  even  a  shelter  from  the  elements,  and  to 
subsist  on  the  poorest  rations  and  a  scanty  supply 
perhaps  even  of  these. 

In  September,  1777,  Washington  writes:  "At 
least  one  thousand  men  were  barefooted,  and  per- 
formed the  marches  in  that  condition."  At  one 
time  they  were  three  days  without  bread  ;  on  an- 
other two  days  without  a  particle  of  meat ;  they  had 
no  soap  or  vinegar.  Of  still  a  third  day  we  read  : 
"  Few  men  had  more  than  one  shirt,  many  only  the 
moiety  of  one,  and  more  none  at  all."  During  the 
dreary  winter  at  Valley  Forge  their  commander 
writes,  February  16,  1778,  "For  some  days  past 
there  has  been  little  less  than  a  famine  in  the 
camp ;  a  part  of  the  army  has  been  a  week  with- 
out any  kind  of  flesh,  and  the  rest  three  or  four 
days.  Naked  and  starving  as  they  are,  we  cannot 
enough   admire   the   incomparable   patience    and 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.    351 

fidelity  of  the  soldiery,  that  they  have  not  been 
ere  this  excited  by  their  sufferings  to  a  general 
mutiny  and  dispersion."  Congress  was  sometimes 
unable,  from  inability  to  supply  their  wants,  to 
grant  them  relief;  or  its  commissaries,  by  their 
negligence,  selfishness,  or  inefficiency,  left  the 
army  to  suffer  on  without  help  or  hope. 

And  this  was  not  all ;  they  were  surrounded  and 
beset  by  Loyalists,  who  were  working  against  them 
every  way  in  their  power;  and  those  who  refused 
to  join  the  English  army  were  sometimes  taken  by 
force  and  delivered  up  to  its  officers.  Lafayette 
complained  that  there  were  great  "numbers  who, 
without  actually  taking  up  arms,  made  it  their 
main  object  to  injure  the  friends  of  liberty  and  to 
give  useful  intelligence  to  those  of  despotism ;  " 
and  Washington,  at  one  crisis,  describes  himself  as 
"  in  an  enemy's  country." 

Another  source  of  difficulty  was  the  depreciated 
state  of  the  currency.  The  Jersey  line  of  the 
army,  in  a  memorial  to  their  State  legislature, 
state  that  "  four  months'  pay  of  a  private  would 
not  procure  for  his  family  a  single  bushel  of 
wheat."  The  Connecticut  line  at  one  time  refused 
to  accept  the  depreciated  paper  money,  and  a  com- 
mittee of  Congress,  after  examining  the  state  of 
Washington's  army,  reported  that  it  had  been  un- 
paid for  five  months,  "  that  every  department 
of  the  army  was  without  money,  and  had  not  even 
the  shadow  of  credit  left." 

And,  furthermore,  the  trial  of  the  patience   and 


352  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

loyalty  of  the  army  was  tested  where  depend- 
ence could  no  longer  be  placed  upon  volunteer 
troops,  but  the  colonists  were  compelled  to  fill  up 
the  ranks  of  the  army  by  a  compulsory  draft  from 
the  local  militia.  This  measure  increased  the 
dangers  of  discontent,  desertions,  and  disloyalty  to 
the  American  cause. 

But  still  the  great  body  of  the  army  remained 
faithful  and  true  ;  and  the  record  of  our  men,  amid 
such  surroundings,  is  often  worthy  of  the  highest 
commendation.  There  were  indeed  those  who 
complained  of  their  lot,  and  were  restless,  and  at 
times  insubordinate.  But  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
armies  were  habitually  obedient  to  their  officers 
and  showed  a  soldierly  deportment ;  and  before  we 
condemn  any  instance  of  a  contrary  appearance 
and  reputation,  we  are  bound  to  look  fully  and 
fairly  into  all  the  evidence  of  the  case.  See  what 
they  actually  endured,  and  you  will,  in  a  vast  ma- 
jority of  cases,  find  the  bearing  of  our  soldiers  was 
calm,  dignified  and  patient,  and  worthy  of  high 
praise. 

The  progress  of  the  war,  the  success  of  our  arms, 
on  the  whole,  from  day  to  day,  and  the  energy  with 
which  our  men  rose  above  defeat  and  discourage- 
ment, justify  the  position  I  take  on  their  behalf. 
The  result  shows  that  not  only  were  the  officers 
firm  in  their  adhesion  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and 
independence,  but  that  this  noble  spirit  extended 
through  the  ranks,  down  to  those  who  enlisted  as 
privates,   and  remained  in  the  ranks  and  received 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.    353 

an  honorable  discharge  at  the  close  of  their  ser- 
vices. Their  names  should  go  down  to  the  latest 
posterity  as  having  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of 
the  war,  as  being  unambitious  of  fame,  and  con- 
tent with  the  name  and  reward  of  the  patient, 
persistent,  good  and  true  common  soldier. 

I  wish  to  speak  of  an  individual  remarkable  as 
a  representative  of  the  good  soldier  remaining  in 
the  ranks,  and  still  further  for  the  extraordinary 
age  which  he  reached,  being  for  some  time  the 
sole  survivor  of  those  who  witnessed  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  I  had  an  opportunity  to  see  him  at 
a  Whig  celebration  in  Boston,  in  the  year  1850, 
when  he  was  ninety-five  years  old.  He  had  a 
large  and  well-shaped  head ;  his  eyes  were  blue, 
and  their  expression  mild  ;  and  his  whole  counte- 
nance beamed  with  benevolence.  Being  asked 
at  that  time  if  he  had  no  children  then  living, 
he  replied,  "  Yes,  I  have  two  sons."  "  Why  did 
you  not  bring  them  with  you?"  He  answered, 
"  I  did  n't  want  to  be  plagued  with  the  boys." 
"  What  are  their  ages  ?  "  "  Oh,  one  is  seventy, 
the  other  seventy-two." 

Fortunately  we  have  a  letter  from  one  who  vis- 
ited him  in  1860,  which  furnishes  us  a  minute  de- 
scription of  his  personal  appearance,  and  an  account 
of  a  conversation  with  him,  the  substance  of  which 
I  give.  Ralph  Farnham  was  born  in  Lebanon, 
Maine,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1756  ;  his  residence  was 
in  Acton,  Maine,  and  he  was,  at  this  interview,  in 
the  one  hundred  and  fifth  year  of  his  age.     His 


23 


354  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

sight  was  not  materially  dimmed  ;  his  memory,  es- 
pecially for  things  of  former  years,  still  good ;  his 
mental  powers  in  general  seemed  unimpaired  and 
his  health  excellent. 

He  was  quite  ready  to  converse,  and  repeated 
many  Revolutionary  anecdotes  with  spirit  and 
great  enjoyment.  Within  six  weeks  of  the  time 
when  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he  enlisted  in  the 
Continental  army.  His  name  was  first  enrolled 
on  the  26th  of  May,  1775,  and  on  the  31st  of  the 
same  month,  with  his  fellow-soldiers  from  Maine, 
he  reached  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  The  com- 
pany to  which  he  belonged  was  detailed  to  guard 
the  artillery  at  Cambridge  Common,  where  Gen- 
eral Ward  expected  an  attack  from  the  British  as 
well  as  at  Charlestown.  Before  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  was  finished  Farnham  went  to  an 
eminence  near  that  place  to  aid  the  Americans  in 
bringing  away  their  wounded.  This  led  him  to  a 
point  where  he  had  a  better  view  of  the  engage- 
ment than  those  who  were  actively  employed 
behind  the  ramparts.  His  first  campaign  was  for 
eight  months,  after  which  he  returned  home  ;  but 
the  letter  says  that  in  1777  he  served  two  short 
campaigns.  He  was,  at  one  time,  stationed  at 
Providence,  in  Rhode  Island;  and  was  afterward 
in  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  He  gave  the  corre- 
pondent  I  quote  many  interesting  reminiscences 
of  Washington,  Putnam,  Gates,  Burgoyne,  and 
Benedict  Arnold.  Upon  this  traitor  his  comments 
were  very  severe. 


THE    SOLDIER    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  355 

Another  case  —  that  of  Moses  Hale  —  shows 
us  a  soldier  who  was  disinterested,  unambitious, 
and  a  pattern  of  fidelity  in  the  ranks.  He  enlisted 
as  a  private,  and  seemed  pleased  and  content  with 
that  position.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
Winchendon,  Massachusetts,  for  the  nearly  sixty 
years  of  his  residence  in  that  town.  Only  three 
years  after  his  removal  thither,  in  1773,  we  find 
him  made  chairman  of  a  meeting  "  to  take  into 
consideration  the  distressing  and  dangerous  cir- 
cumstances of  our  public  affairs."  He  is  chosen 
"  chairman  of  a  committee  to  consider  of  griev- 
ances." A  vote  is  passed  to  choose  "  a  committee 
of  correspondence,"  of  which  he  is  one,  to  unite 
with  a  similar  committee  in  Boston,  and  a  reso- 
lution is  adopted  "  at  all  times  to  join  heartily 
with  our  brethren  of  this  Province  for  the  redress 
of  our  grievances  and  the  establishment  of  our 
character,  rights,  privileges,  and  liberties." 

When  the  news  came  of  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
the  alarm  was  spread  in  Winchendon  by  the  firing 
of  guns  and  the  beating  of  drums.  The  people 
sprang  to  arms,  and  under  the  lead  of  Deacon 
Moses  Hale,  without  a  commission,  a  party  of  the 
people  started  for  the  scene  of  action.  After  a 
short  respite,  Abel  Wilder,  a  born  hero,  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  a  company  which  marched  to 
Cambridge,  of  which  we  have  subsequent  evi- 
dence that  Moses  Hale  was  a  member.  This 
company  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  "  The 
Winchendon  men,"  says  the  record,  "  engaged  in 


356  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

the  thick  of  the  fight."  Captain  Wilder,  brave 
soul,  writes  to  his  wife  the  day  after  the  battle,  — 
we  have  his  own  spelling,  —  "  Friday  night  I  was 
poorly."  His  doctor  urged  him  to  take  medicine  ; 
"  but  I  told  him,"  writes  the  Captain,  "  as  there 
was  a  battle  expected  Satterday  I  would  not  take 
it,  lest  I  should  be  charged  of  taking  it  on  purpose. 
And  according  as  was  expected,  a  very  hot  battle 
insued  Satterday  afternoon.  I  fired  nineteen 
times,  and  had  fair  chances,  and  then  they  was 
too  hard  for  us,  and  we  retreated.  The  bals  flew 
very  thick,  but  through  the  Divine  protection,  my 
company  was  all  preserved  but  one."  We  learn 
from  another  source  that  "  he  had  a  long,  slender 
gun,  and  fired  it  till  it  was  so  stopped  up  that  he 
could  not  fire  it  any  longer." 

In  1776  Moses  Hale,  who  had  been  a  common 
soldier,  was  placed  by  his  town  on  their  committee 
of  correspondence.  March  13,  1777,  the  town 
voted  "  to  hire  men  to  serve  in  the  war  for  this 
town  in  the  future."  Deacon  Moses  Hale  was  on 
a  committee  authorized  to  hire  money  for  that 
purpose.  Throughout  the  war  he  was  earnest  in 
the  cause  and  foremost  in  labors  for  its  advance- 
ment. The  record  he  has  left  is  most  gratifying. 
"  Next  to  Deacon  Wilder,"  is  its  testimony,  "  he 
filled  the  largest  place  in  public  estimation  ;  and 
after  the  death  of  Mr.  Wilder,  he  was  in  the  first 
rank.  He  filled  many  offices,  and  was,  several 
years,  delegate  to  the  General  Court,  besides  being 
delegate  to  the  State  Convention  for  adopting  the 


!  rj 


THE    SOLDIER    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  db7 

National  Constitution.  He  was  deacon  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  for  a  long  term  of  years  pre- 
ceding his  decease  in  1828." 

Our  government  rightly  opposes  a  direct  union 
of  Church  and  State.  But  such  a  union  as  this,  a 
patriotism  based  on  the  highest  principle,  and 
carried  out  in  unambitious  service  to  one's  country, 
bears  the  mark  of  a  character  which  does  as  hio:h 
honor  to  religion  as  it  does  to  the  noble  institutions 
of  our  republic. 

Moses  Hale  belonged  to  a  family  remarkable  for 
their  longevity.  He  was  born  in  Boxford,  June  5, 
1742 ;  he  married  Ruth  Foster,  July  2,  1769. 
They  removed  to  Winchendon,  Massachusetts, 
May  8,  1770.  Their  children  were  :  (1)  Eunice; 
(2)  Ruth  ;  (3)  Lucy,  who  was  living  in  1866,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-nine;  (4)  Moses;  (5)  Achsa ;  (6) 
Artemas,  who  married  Deborah  Lincoln  of  Hing- 
ham  in  1815.  This  couple  have  since  lived  in 
Bridgewater,  where  he  died  August  3,  1882,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-eight  years,  five  months,  and  two 
days.  The  great-grandfather  of  Artemas  Hale, 
Joseph  Hale  of  Boxford,  Massachusetts,  lived  to 
the  age  of  ninety  years.  His  great-uncles,  Joseph 
and  Thomas  Hale  of  Boxford,  lived  to  the  ages 
severally  of  eighty-one  and  eighty-four  years.  His 
father,  Moses  Hale,  died  at  eighty-six,  and  his 
mother,  Ruth  (Foster)  Hale,  at  ninety-five  years  and 
four  months.  Of  his  uncles  and  aunts  on  his 
father's  side,  Nathaniel  died  at  seventy-one  ;  Amos 
at  seventy-six;  Ruth  (Mrs.  Curtis)  at  eighty;  David 


358  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

at  eighty-one  ;  Jacob  at  eighty-seven  ;  Lucy  (Mrs. 
Keyes)  at  ninety-three  years  and  seven  months ; 
while  Judith  (Mrs.  Towne)  attained  the  remarka- 
ble age  of  one  hundred  and  six  years,  five  months, 
and  two  days,  having  been  born  on  October  14, 
1747,  and  died  at  Paris,  New  York,  March  16, 
1854.  Of  his  own  brothers  and  sisters,  Moses  died 
at  sixty-four;  Eunice  at  seventy-four;  Ruth  (Mrs. 
Payson)  at  eighty-eight;  Achsa  (Mrs.  Coolidge)  at 
ninety-six  years,  nine  months,  and  twenty-six  days  ; 
and  Lucy  at  ninety-eight  years,  five  months,  and 
eight  days. 

Although  Artemas  Hale  was  a  modest  man  and 
retiring  in  his  habits,  he  was  a  true  patriot  and 
filled  various  political  offices  with  great  success. 
From  1827  to  1832  he  was  in  the  Massachusetts 
House  of  Representatives,  and  from  1833  to  1834 
was  a  member  of  the  Senate.  In  a  heated  and 
prolonged  contest  of  his  district,  he  was  chosen  on 
the  same  day  to  the  Twenty-Ninth  Congress  and 
the  Thirtieth.  In  1853  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Massachusetts  Constitutional  Convention ;  and  in 
1864  he  was  a  presidential  elector  on  the  Lincoln 
and  Johnson  ticket. 

I  speak  of  him  with  pleasure  and  confidence 
from  having  known  him  personally,  in  the  prime 
of  his  life,  when  his  rare  intelligence  and  interest 
in  all  good  works  of  a  public,  national,  and  phil- 
anthropic description  were  apparent  from  his  con- 
versation and  character. 

He  was  very  regular  and  temperate  in  his  habits, 


THE  SOLDIER  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.    359 

abstaining  totally  from  intoxicating  drinks  and 
tobacco,  and,  with  the  exception  of  his  hearing,  he 
retained  the  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  bodily 
and  mental,  until  near  the  close  of  his  life ;  and  on 
his  ninety-fifth  birthday  he  gave  an  address  to  his 
Masonic  lodge,  which  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
ever  delivered  before  a  body  of  that  order. 

Such  men  as  Moses  Hale  and  his  son  Artemas 
Hale  not  only  elevate  themselves  and  their  fami- 
lies, but  present  evidence  that — however  some  men 
may  bring  and  have  brought  reproach  on  our 
country  by  their  sordid  aims  and  selfish  course  in 
their  public  relations  —  there  were  those  in  the  in- 
fancy of  our  Union,  and  have  been  down  to  this 
day,  in  whose  sincere,  unpretentious  temper  and 
self-devoted  services  the  country  may  take  a  just 
pride. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE  BATTLE   OF   LEXINGTON: 

WITH    PERSONAL    RECOLLECTIONS     OP    MEN     ENGAGED     IN     IT. 

Having  from  my  earliest  childhood,  and  in  my 
native  place,  heard  the  story  of  the  opening  scenes 
of  the  Revolution  from  the  lips  of  several  who 
took  part  in  it,  and  kn'own,  more  or  less,  many 
others  of  them,  I  am  unwilling  that  their  share  in 
it  should  be  lost  to  the  annals  of  that  day.  To 
Lexington  and  Concord  belongs  the  honor  of  these 
opening  scenes.  In  all  contemporaneous  history 
Lexington  stands  as  the  place  where  the  first  re- 
sistance was  made  to  the  King's  troops,  and  Con- 
cord as  the  place  where  they  met  their  first  repulse 
and  began  their  retreat.  Lexington,  by  her  band 
of  protomartyrs,  led  the  determined  train  that 
finally  threw  off  the  British  yoke.  "  Too  few  to 
resist,  too  brave  to  flee/'  their  blood  was  the  seed 
of  that  great  freedom-harvest  gathered  by  those 
who  came  after  them.  Their  service  was  little,  of 
necessity,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  but  in  a 
national  and  political  aspect  its  importance  was 
inestimable. 


AMOS    MUZZEY,    IN    PARKER'S    COMPANY,    APRIL   19/ m*. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        361 

The  motives  of  the  Colonists  from  the  beginning, 
were  high  and  pure.  Their  pacific  spirit  was  seen 
up  to  the  last  critical  and  decisive  hour,  and  the 
sight  of  an  invading  force.  Nothing  was  done  at 
that  moment  except  on  the  defensive.  In  view  of 
the  threatening  condition  of  the  country  a  military 
company  had  been  formed  in  Lexington  under 
Captain  John  Parker.  It  had  one  hundred  and 
thirty  names  on  its  roll.  My  paternal  grandfather, 
who  was  a  member  of  this  company,  and  whose 
name  stands  also  on  the  roll  of  five-months'  men  at 
Ticonderoga  in  1776,  and  that  of  the  three-months' 
campaign  at  Cambridge  in  1778,  was  apprehensive 
of  an  approaching  conflict.  He  had  seen  a  few 
men  riding  on  horseback  past  his  house  at  dusk  on 
the  evening  of  the  18th,  and  as,  looking  beyond  the 
waving  grass  of  that  premature  season,  he  saw  the 
wind  blow  their  overcoats  open,  he  noticed  their 
uniforms  and  swords  underneath.  This  aroused  the 
suspicions  of  the  people,  and  he,  with  another  man, 
was  sent  early  the  next  morning  to  get  intelligence 
of  any  movement  below  by  the  British  troops. 
He  stopped  in  Arlington,  then  Menotomy,  at  a 
tavern  called  the  Black  Horse,  kept  by  a  Mr. 
Wetherby,  where  the  two  Provincial  committees, 
of  Safety  and  Supplies,  usually  met.  While  there, 
the  enemy  arrived,  and  my  grandfather  narrowly 
escaped  being  made  a  prisoner.  He  found  his 
horse  let  loose  and  injured,  though  not  disabled. 
At  a  later  hour  in  the  day  Mr.  Samuel  Whittemore 
of  Menotomy,  then   eighty    years    of  age,    who 


362  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

married,  as  his  second  wife,  my  great-grandmother, 
was  shot,  bayoneted,  and  left  for  dead ;  but  he  was 
afterward  taken  to  the  above  tavern,  and  finally 
recovered  and  lived  to  the  as;e  of  ninetv-six. 

My  grandmother,  when  the  British  troops  — 
eight  hundred  grenadiers  and  light-infantry,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Francis  Smith  of  the  Tenth 
British  Regiment,  and  Major  John  Pitcairn  of  the 
marines  —  had  passed  her  house,  in  the  centre  of 
Lexington,  on  their  way  to  Concord,  left  the 
house,  taking  her  two  children  (my  father,  who 
was  nine  years  old  that  day,  and  his  brother,  a  boy 
of  four)  to  spend  the  dread  day  with  a  neighbor 
and  friend.  A  foot-weary  soldier  had  fallen  behind 
the  column,  and  as  the  sun  was  rising  he  met  and 
saluted  my  grandmother :  "  Good-morning,  madam; 
the  King's  troops  are  paying  you  an  early  visit 
this  morning.,,  Her  reply,  in  the  custom  of  those 
days,  was  from  Scripture,  —  in  the  language  of  the 
elders  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  who  met  Samuel, 
and  "  trembled  at  his  coming."  She  said,  "  Come 
ye  peaceably  ?  "  The  soldier  could  not  reply  as 
the  Prophet  did,  "  Peaceably !  "  but  said  with  little 
of  her  reverence,  "  Ah,  madam  !  you  have  carried 
the  joke  rather  too  far  with  his  Majesty." 

When  the  troops  returned  from  Concord  they 
entered  my  grandfather's  house,  broke  a  large 
mirror,  —  a  part  of  the  frame  of  which  was  long 
kept  in  the  family,  and  is  now  in  Lexington  Me- 
morial Hall,  —  and  demolished  the  beaufet,  with 
its  contents  of  valuable  crockery,  some   of  which 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        363 

I  remember  seeing  in  my  boyhood.  My  grand- 
father said :  "  They  must  have  dressed  their 
wounded  there,  for  the  floor  had  stripes  of  blood 
all  over  it,  as  if  a  pig  had  been  stuck  and  dragged 
around  the  room."  The  old  gentleman's  life  was 
prolonged  until  December  10,  1822,  when  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  being  already  past 
man's  threescore  years  and  ten  when  the  "  mere 
skirmish,"  as  he  called  the  War  of  1812,  involved 
the  country  in  new  hostilities.  In  the  latter  con- 
test our  State  government  located  a  depot  of 
military  stores  at  Lexington,  within  sight  of  our 
own  door;  and,  as  the  veteran  had  so  often  re- 
hearsed the  story  of  the  famous  British  march  to 
Concord  thirty-seven  years  before,  it  is  no  mar- 
vel that  the  narrative  made  the  grandson  share 
his  grandsire's  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  these  new 
deposits.  The  Regulars,  not  content  with  other 
damage,  fired  at  his  house,  either  before  or 
after  leaving  it,  several  bullets,  one  of  which 
passed  through  a  partition  on  which  I  often  gazed 
from  the  bed  in  my  childhood,  and  two  others  I 
took  from  the  brick  lining  to  our  wall,  when  the 
house  was  repaired,  forty  years  after  the  battle. 
The  British,  on  their  retreat,  and  when  reinforced, 
burned  three  houses,  beside  a  barn  and  two  work- 
shops within  a  mile  of  my  grandfather's.  They 
also  set  fire  to  several  other  houses,  and  pillaged 
many  as  they  passed  on,  breaking  doors  and  win- 
dows, destroying  furniture,  and  carrying  away 
clothing ;  and  they  took  the  lives  of  several  per- 


364  REMINISCENCES   AND    MEMORIALS. 

sons,  and  in  modes  hardly  less  savage  than  those 
of  our  own  Indians.  It  is  to  the  honor  of  our  Pro- 
vincials that  they  committed  no  acts  of  barbarity, 
although  charged  in  foreign  accounts  with  all  man- 
ner of  cruelties,  even  to  cold-blooded  murder,  and 
mutilating  and  scalping  their  victims. 

The  forbearance  of  our  people  was  illustrated 
in  the  cool  and  prudent  conduct  of  Captain  Parker. 
Fearing  lest  some  of  his  men,  in  their  excitement, 
would  fire  prematurely,  and  so  begin  the  contest, 
he  ordered  them  not  to  fire  unless  they  were  fired 
upon, — adding,  "  but  if  they  want  a  war,  let  it  be- 
gin here."  As  the  little  band  of  sixty  stood  before 
tenfold  their  number  of  disciplined  troops,  a  few  of 
them  naturally  for  a  moment  faltered.  Parker  or- 
dered every  man  to  "  stand  his  ground  till  he  should 
order  him  to  leave  it,"  and  added  that  he  would 
"  order  the  first  man  to  be  shot  down  who  should 
attempt  to  leave  his  post." 

I  often  heard  individuals,  who  witnessed  the 
scenes  of  that  morning,  describe  them  in  detail. 
About  half-past  four  o'clock  Major  Pitcairn,  with 
six  companies  of  grenadiers  and  light-infantry, 
rode  up  on  the  right  side  of  the  meeting-house, 
saw  Captain  Parker's  company,  which  was  just 
forming  in  two  ranks,  and  ordered  them  to  dis- 
perse. This  command  was  repeated  ;  and,  it  not 
being  obeyed,  he  fired  his  pistol  and  brandished  his 
sword.  Colonel  Smith's  force  was  then  about 
twelve  rods  distant  in  front  of  the  meeting-house, 
and  on  the  left  side  of  it.     Pitcairn  passed  up  the 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        365 

Bedford  road,  on  the  right  hand,  and  around  to  the 
back  of  the  meeting-house,  where,  by  his  com- 
mand, after  firing  over  the  heads  of  our  men,  his 
troops  fired  a  second  volley,  and  killed  Jonas 
Parker,  Robert  Munroe,  Isaac  Muzzey,  —  a  kinsman 
of  mine,  —  and  Jonathan  Harrington.  Two  men, 
Samuel  Hadley  and  John  Brown,  fell  near  the  Com- 
mon. Two  others  were  also  killed  —  Caleb  Har- 
rington, as  he  was  leaving  the  meeting-house,  and 
Asahel  Porter,  an  escaped  prisoner,  near  the  Com- 
mon. The  British  wounded  nine  others,  and 
rushed  forward  to  bayonet  Parker's  men.  Jona- 
than Harrington  fell  in  front  of  his  own  house  on 
the  Common.  His  wife  saw  him  fall  and  then 
start  up,  the  blood  gushing  from  his  breast;  he 
stretched  out  his  hands  toward  her,  and  fell  again. 
Rising  a  little  he  crept  across  the  road ;  she  ran  to 
meet  him  at  the  door,  but  he  died  at  her  feet. 
Four  of  the  company  went  into  the  meeting-house 
for  ammunition.  Hearing  the  discharge  of  guns, 
one  of  them,  Joshua  Simonds,  cocked  his  piece, 
and  laid  down  by  an  open  cask  of  powder,  re- 
solved never  to  be  taken  alive.  Jonas  Parker  was 
a  true  Roman  hero.  He  had  often  said.  "  Let 
others  do  as  they  please ;  I  will  never  run  from  the 
British."  Having  loaded  his  musket  he  placed  his 
hat,  and  in  it  his  ammunition,  on  the  ground  be- 
tween his  feet.  He  was  soon  wounded,  and  sunk 
upon  his  knees ;  and  in  this  state  discharged  his 
gun.  While  loading  it  again,  and  striving  to  fire 
once  more,  he  was  pierced  by  a  bayonet,  and 
died  as  he  had  said  he  would. 


366  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

From  the  little  one-storied  New  England  school- 
house,  which  stood  a  few  yards  from  the  monu- 
ment erected  in  1799  on  the  battle-field,  and  in 
which  I  attended  school  until  I  left  home  to  pre- 
pare for  college,  I  saw,  day  after  day,  the  old 
Jonathan  Harrington  house,  and  felt  many  a  thrill 
at  the  sad  tale  of  the  hero  and  martyr  who  once 
occupied  that  venerated  building. 

After  the  bloody  scene  just  described,  Major 
Pitcairn  galloped  round  to  the  Concord  road,  on 
the  left  of  the  meeting-house,  and  joined  Colonel 
Smith.  The  engagement  lasted  about  half  an 
hour,  when,  after  giving  three  huzzas,  the  column 
marched  toward  Concord.  About  the  middle  of 
the  forenoon  Captain  Parker  collected  a  part  of 
his  company,  and  they  moved  bravely  toward 
Concord  in  pursuit  of  the  British. 

It  is  said  that  not  less  than  forty  unarmed  per- 
sons witnessed  the  engagement.  I  knew  individ- 
uals, too  young  to  bear  arms,  who  were  on  the 
Common  that  day,  and  who,  at  a  greater  or  less 
distance  of  time,  gave  their  accounts  of  the  battle. 
Levi  Harrington,  then  in  his  fifteenth  year,  was 
quite  near,  and  testified  that  the  British  fired  first. 
Abijah  Harrington,  who  was  in  the  fourteenth  year 
of  his  age  at  that  time,  —  when,  at  a  later  period,  it 
was  doubted  whether  our  men  returned  the  British 
fire  at  all,  —  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  I  was  on  the 
spot  where  the  Red-coats  stood,  after  the  battle  that 
day,  and  saw  in  one  place  a  large  pool  of  blood." 
He  himself  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       367 

one.  His  testimony  was  confirmed  by  the  deposi- 
tions of  Elijah  Sanderson,  who  saw  blood  where 
the  column  stood  when  Solomon  Brown x  fired  at 
them.  Rufus  Merriam,  who  lived  until  May  7, 
1847,  was  in  his  thirteenth  year  at  the  time  of  the 
battle.  His  family  were  in  my  boyhood  near 
neighbors  to  us,  and  he  spoke  of  standing  on  the 
doorsteps  of  the  old  Buckman  house,  afterward  his 
own  home,  and  seeing  the  British  column  coming 
up  the  road.  Some  of  our  men  were  firing  from 
the  house,  when  Mr.  Buckman  asked  them  to  stop, 
as  it  led  the  British  to  fire  back.  Certain  Loyalists 
then  in  the  house  had  said  :  "  Oh,  they  won't  fire  on 
us,  for  we  are  their  friends."  Mr.  Buckman's 
house  shows  to-day  that  this  was  no  protection  ; 
several  bullet-holes  are  still  to  be  seen  there. 

A  British  officer,  who  shared  in  the  expedition 
that  day,  testified  that  "  a  man  of  the  Tenth  Light- 
infantry  was  wounded  by  a  Yankee."  Another 
testified  that  "  Major  Pitcairn's  horse  was  grazed 
by  a  bullet,  and  a  soldier  wounded  in  the  leg." 
Some  British  prisoners,  taken  that  day,  said,  "  One 
of  our  soldiers  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  and 
another  received  a  shot  through  his  hand." 

It  will  be  recollected  that  through  the  night  of 
April  18,  John  Hancock,  who  was  a  grandson  of 
the  minister  of  Lexington  by  that  name,  and  Sam- 
uel* Adams,  were  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke, 
who  married  a  cousin  of  John  Hancock.     These 

1  An  interesting  sketch  of  Solomon  Brown,  "by  Rev.  Horace  E.  Hayden, 
reached  me  too  late,  I  regret  to  say,  for  use  in  this  work. 


368  KEMINISCENCES   AND   MEMORIALS. 

two  Patriots  had  been  marked,  and  were  finally 
proscribed  by  King  George,  whose  first  order  was 
that  "  they  be  sent  over  to  England  for  trial."  The 
second  order  was  to  "  hang  them  in  Boston."  No 
wonder  they  sought  shelter  at  such  a  moment 
among  kindred  and  friends.  While  here  they 
were  waked  about  midnight  by  the  renowned  Paul 
Revere.  Mr.  Clarke's  house,  not  far  north  of  the 
Common,  was  familiar  to  me  in  early  life.  Of  Mr. 
Clarke's  twelve  children  there  were  two  of  whom 
I  have  a  vivid  recollection  :  Sarah,  who  died  un- 
married, January  28,  1843,  aged  sixty-nine ;  and 
Elizabeth,  who  died  December  5, 1843,  also  unmar- 
ried, aged  eighty.  They  preserved  every  object  in 
their  house  —  the  old  room  which  Hancock  and 
Adams  had  occupied,  with  the  table,  chairs,  and 
cushions,  the  high  wainscoting,  hard  pine  floors, 
and  even  the  dilapidated  paper — with  the  utmost 
reverence.  They  were  very  kind  to  us  children, 
and  even  to  the  feline  species,  nine  of  which  I 
once  saw  together  around  their  good  old  wide 
fireplace. 

While  the  two  Patriots  were  here  they  were 
protected  by  a  guard  of  eight  minute-men,  under 
the  command  of  Sergeant  William  Munroe.  They 
were  advised,  after  the  attack  on  the  Common  and 
when  the  British  had  started  toward  Concord,  to 
flee  for  safety.  At  first  they  retired  to  a  hill  south- 
east of  Mr.  Clarke's,  then,  and  still  partly  covered 
with  wood.  While  waiting  there  for  the  British 
column  to  pass  on  toward   Concord,  the  almost  in- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        369 

spired  Adams — standing  on  a  rock  which  has  been 
pointed  out  to  me  by  my  brother-in-law,  General 
Chandler,  who  in  recent  days  owned  the  premises — 
uttered,  as  the  sun  was  a  little  way  up,  that  im- 
mortal sentence  :  "  What  a  glorious  morning  for 
America  is  this  !  " 

I  often  heard  from  my  grandfather  —  one  of 
whose  cousins  married  Ebenezer  Fiske,  from  whom 
Fiske  Hill  received  its  name  —  the  story  of  the 
encounter  at  that  place,  between  James  Hay- 
ward  of  Acton  and  a  British  soldier.  Hayward 
left  his  father's  house  with  one  pound  of  pow- 
der and  forty  balls,  followed  the  British  from 
Concord  to  the  foot  of  Fiske  Hill,  and,  being 
thirsty,  stopped  at  the  well,  front  of  the  house.  A 
British  soldier,  who  was  in  the  house  for  plunder, 
saw  him,  stepped  to  the  door  and  aimed  his  piece 
at  him.  "  You  are  a  dead  man,"  said  one.  "  And 
so  are  you,"  was  the  reply.  Both  fired  and  both 
fell,  —  the  British  soldier  dead,  Hayward  mortally 
wounded.  The  ball  which  hit  him  passed  through 
his  powder-horn,  and  drove  the  splinters  into  his 
body.  He  lingered  eight  hours,  during  which  he 
repeatedly  expressed  his  willingness  to  die  in  de- 
fending the  rights  of  his  country.  He  was  a 
young  man  of  high  character,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five.  I  recalled  the  memorable  well 
with  new  interest,  April  19,  1835.  It  was  then, 
when  the  remains  of  the  martyr  soldiers  were  re- 
moved from  the  old  burying-ground  in  Lexington, 
and    placed  under   the  monument,  that   Edward 

24 


370  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Everett,  the  orator  of  the  day,  exhibited  the  pow- 
der-horn worn  by  Hay  ward  in  that  deadly  encoun- 
ter. I  saw  the  hole  made  in  it  by  the  bullet 
which  killed  him,  and  was  glad  to  learn  that  this 
venerated  relic  was  bequeathed  by  Mr.  Everett  to 
the  town  of  Acton,  the  home  of  Hayward,  and  is 
now  deposited  in  that  place. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  a  reinforcement  of 
British  troops,  —  a  brigade  consisting  of  three  regi- 
ments of  infantry  and  a  detachment  of  marines,  to 
the  number  of  about  twelve  hundred,  with  two 
fieldpieces,  under  Lord  Percy — came  out  to  Lexing- 
ton in  the  after  part  of  the  day,  and  met  the  force 
of  Colonel  Smith  about  half  a  mile  below  the  vil- 
lage. One  cannon  was  placed  on  an  eminence  near 
the  Munroe  tavern,  the  other  on  a  high  point  near 
the  fork  of  the  main  and  Woburn  roads.  On  this 
latter  spot,  it  is  probable,  the  shot  was  fired  which 
struck  the  meeting-house,  that  stood  about  twenty 
feet  north  of  that  which  was  erected  afterward,  in 
1794.  It  passed  through  or  near  the  pulpit,  and 
fell  at  the  door  of  the  house  belonging  to  one  of 
Captain  Parker's  company,  back  of  the  green 
where  the  enemy  were  met.  This  act  of  desecra- 
tion shocked  all  who  ever  saw  its  effects.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Morrill  of  Wilmington,  who  preached  the 
annual  sermon,  April  19,  1780,  says  of  it:  "Let 
the  mark  of  British  tyranny,  made  in  the  house 
of  God,  remain  till  time  itself  shall  consume  the 
fabric,  and  it  moulders  into  dust."  I  recollect  see- 
ing this  cannon-ball  in  my  boyhood,  and  shared  in 
the  feeling  of  horror  at  its  tale  of  impiety. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        371 

I  have  spoken  of  Captain  Parker's  pursuit  of 
the  British  on  their  march  to  Concord.  One  of 
his  company,  Jedediah  Munroe,  had  been  wounded 
in  the  morning,  but  the  heroic  man  was  not 
stopped  by  the  loss  of  blood  ;  he  pushed  forward 
with  the  company,  but  died  in  the  afternoon. 
Another,  Francis  Brown,  sergeant  of  the  com- 
pany, encountered  the  enemy  in  the  morning, 
joined  his  comrades  on  the  march  to  Concord, 
and  —  meeting  the  British  in  their  flight,  at  Lin- 
coln—  received  a  very  severe  wound.  A  ball 
entered  his  cheek,  passed  under  his  ear,  and  lodged 
in  the  back  part  of  his  neck,  where  it  remained 
until  the  next  year.  But  still  the  brave  man 
commanded  the  company  in  1776,  and  survived 
nearly  twenty-five  years.  He  died  April  21, 
1800,  aged  sixty-two  years. 

The  Provincials  were  charged  with  firing  only 
behind  houses,  trees,  and  stone  fences.  This  may 
have  been  true ;  it  would  have  been  a  mark  of 
wisdom  and  proper  self-protection.  When  results 
were  summed  up  it  appeared  that  while  the  British 
had  lost,  in  killed  and  wounded,  two  hundred  and 
seventy-three  men,  the  American  loss  was  only 
ninety-three. 

Of  those  who  bore  arms  on  that  eventful  morn- 
ing a  number  survived  to  my  boyhood,  and  a  few 
to  my  early  manhood.  I  recall  several  of  those 
honored  men.  There  was  the  venerated  Dr.  Jo- 
seph Fiske,  who  told  in  my  hearing  many  a  tear- 
drawing  story  of  his  sufferings  in  the  old  Conti- 


372  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

nental  army.  He  was  in  the  sixth  campaign,  in 
1776,  at  Dorchester,  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne, 
the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  and  in  many  other 
battles,  and  was  surgeon  during  almost  the  whole 
Revolution.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  and  had  a  certificate, 
preserved  by  the  family,  signed  by  Washington  as 
president,  and  General  Knox  as  secretary.  He, 
like  the  others,  carried  with  him  something  of  the 
moral  power  that  pervaded  the  great  cause  they  so 
nobly  defended.  He  died  September  25,  1837, 
aged  eighty-five  years. 

I  remember  well  the  large  form  of  the  veteran 
Colonel  William  Munroe,  the  orderly-sergeant  of 
Captain  Parker's  company,  a  man  of  grave  and 
determined  aspect.  His  oldest  daughter  married 
my  uncle,  the  boy  I  have  spoken  of,  less  than  four 
years  old  on  the  day  of  the  battle.  Often,  as  I  sat 
by  the  side  of  Colonel  Munroe,  I  imagined  his  feel- 
ings when  he  drew  up  that  little  band  on  the  Com- 
mon. He  was  a  man  of  few  words,  but  they  were 
wise  and  weight}^.  Well  educated  for  his  time,  he 
was  a  thorough  master  as  well  as  reader  of  Shake- 
speare. And  his  moral  character  stood  equally 
high.  No  profane  sentence  ever  sullied  his  lips, 
any  more  than  those  of  his  commander,  Captain 
Parker,  sorely  tempted  though  he  was  in  the  peril 
and  excitement  of  that  hour.  What  a  contrast 
did  the  language  of  those  men  present  to  that  of 
Major  Pitcairn  in  that  scene,  "  Disperse,  ye  reb- 
els !  "  repeated,  and  with  an  oath  each  time.     We 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        O/O 

are  impressed  with  the  purity  of  the  men  in 
general  on  our  side,  compared  with  the  rank 
vices  tending  always  to  cluster  round  the  camp, 
and  grown  to  fearful  proportions  at  that  period 
among  the  hireling  army  of  General  Gage.  Colo- 
nel Munroe  —  he  was  a  colonel  in  the  militia 
was  honored  in  town,  being  nine  years  one  of  its 
selectmen,  and  two  years  representative  in  the 
legislature.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  army  at 
the  capture  of  Burgoyne  in  1777,  and  took  part 
in  suppressing  the  Shays  rebellion.  He  kept  the 
public  house  known  as  the  Munroe  tavern.  Here 
the  British  stopped  on  their  retreat,  and  murdered 
John  Raymond,  an  inoffensive  man,  as  he  was 
leaving  the  house ;  here  Washington  dined  in 
1789,  when  he  visited  the  battle-ground.  Colonel 
Munroe  died  October  30,  1827,  aged  eighty-five 
years. 

Next  in  my  memory  is  Daniel  Harrington,  who 
was  clerk  of  Captain  Parker's  company.  His 
manly  form  and  long  white  locks  impressed  me 
deeply.  He  was  a  blacksmith  in  former  days,  and 
in  the  shop  which  his  son  occupied  in  my  boyhood 
was  kept  the  six-pound  cannon-ball  fired  through 
the  meeting-house.  Here  also  was  found  the 
tongue  of  the  bell  which  sounded  the  alarm  on  the 
morning  of  the  battle.  This  valuable  relic  was 
obtained  from  Mr.  Harrington  by  a  nephew  of 
mine,  Colonel  John  L.  Chandler,  about  forty-five 
years  ago.  It  was  exhibited  at  the  centennial  cel- 
ebration   in    1875,    and    afterward    presented    by 


374  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Colonel  Chandler  to  the  town  of  Lexington,  to  be 
preserved  as  a  sacred  deposit  in  their  Memorial 
Hall. 

Daniel  Harrington  was  a  prominent  citizen,  and 
called  to  many  posts  of  honor  and  trust ;  he  was  a 
selectman  in  1779,  1785,  1786.  He  married  Anna 
Munroe,  daughter  of  Ensign  Robert  Munroe,  who 
stood  bravely  at  his  post  on  the  battle-field,  April 
19,  1775,  and  fell,  one  of  the  first  martyrs  of  the 
Revolution  ;  and  who  had  previously  been  a  soldier 
in  the  French  War,  and  bore  the  standard  at  the 
taking  of  Louisburg,  in  1758  ;  he  served  also  in 
1762.  A  wife  —  the  inheritor,  we  cannot  doubt, 
of  such  valor  and  patriotism  as  his  —  must  have 
inspired  with  heroism  the  husband,  and  subject 
of  our  notice.  He  died  September  27,  1818, 
aged  seventy-nine  years. 

I  pass  next  to  William  Tidd.  He  was  a  lieuten- 
ant in  Captain  Parker's  company,  and  gave,  in  an 
affidavit,  1824,  a  graphic  account  of  the  firing  of 
the  Regulars.  He  adds  :  "  I  then  retreated  up  the 
north  road,  and  was  pursued  by  a  British  officer  on 
horseback,  calling  out  to  me  with  an  oath,  '  Stop, 
or  you  are  a  dead  man.'  I  feared  I  could  not  es- 
cape him  unless  1  left  the  road.  I  therefore  sprang 
over  a  pair  of  bars  and  made  a  stand,  and  dis- 
charged my  gun  at  him ;  upon  which  he  immedi- 
ately retreated  to  the  main  body." 

When  a  boy  I  for  one  season  day  by  day,  on 
my  way  to  school,  passed  his  house,  —  a  vener- 
able mansion  of  the  ancient,  rectangular  style.   He 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        375 

was  short  of  stature,  had  a  compact  frame  and  an 
erect  gait,  and  was  active  even  in  old  age.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  services,  April  19,  1775,  he  was  in  the 
seventh  campaign,  September,  1776,  to  White 
Plains,  contributed  to  the  eleventh  campaign, 
1777,  to  Bennington,  and  enlisted  and  served  some 
time  in  the  Continental  line.  He  died  October  25, 
1826,  at  ninety-one,  having  filled  various  offices  in 
town  ;  he  was  four  years  an  assessor — then  a  very 
high  and  responsible  position — and  was  one  of  the 
selectmen  in  the  Revolution.  Mr.  Tidd  belonged 
to  the  Old  School,  who  kept  their  seats  in  their 
pews  after  the  service,  and  bowed  to  the  minister 
as  he  passed  out  first.  Instances  have  been  heard 
of  since  in  which  the  boys  rushed  by  the  preacher, 
and  showed  the  power  of  the  elbow.  Our  respected 
friend,  I  think  on  account  of  his  bald  head,  wore  a 
red  cap,  which  attracted  us  youths  sometimes  more 
than  the  minister  in  the  pulpit.  He  varied  this 
practice,  I  was  told,  by  wearing  a  white  cap  when 
at  home.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  the  heroic 
Ensign  Robert  Munroe.  Her  strongly  marked 
character  made  her  a  fit  companion  of  her  husband, 
sympathizing  alike  in  his  distinguished  military 
and  civil  services.  She  lived  to  May  14,  1839, 
dying  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 
We  come  now  to  Isaac  Hastings,  who  was  in 
Captain  Parker's  command.  He  came  of  a  mili- 
tary family ;  a  brother,  and  their  father  were  with 
him  in  the  engagement.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  of  character,  remarkably  gifted  and  fluent 


376  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

in  conversation.  His  life  was,  at  some  of  its 
stages,  one  of  great  perils,  hardships  and  thrilling 
adventures,  which  he  would  relate  with  graphic 
spirit  and  power.  He  once  gave  in  my  hearing 
the  details  of  a  shipwreck  and  approaching  star- 
vation, when  a  tallow  candle  was  "one  of  the 
sweetest  morsels  he  ever  tasted."  We  find  him  at 
Cambridge  as  a  soldier,  May  6-10,  and  at  Bunker 
Hill,  June  17,  1775.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in 
town  affairs,  and  in  1808  was  chosen  deacon  of  the 
church.  Throughout  my  boyhood  I  remember 
well  his  position  in  the  meeting-house,  sitting  un- 
der the  pulpit,  with  his  associate,  as  was  the  cus- 
tom, on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  deacon's  seat. 
He  lived  on  the  ancient  homestead,  afterward  in 
the  possession  of  his  most  respected  daughter,  Mrs. 
Cary.  His  death,  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-six, 
occurred  July  2,  1831. 

His  father  and  brother  were  both  men  of  mark, 
but  neither  of  military  age  at  the  time  of  the  bat- 
tle. The  father,  Samuel  Hastings,  was  past  the 
military  age,  but  so  patriotic  and  brave  that  he 
stood  in  the  ranks  that  day.  He  was  with  the 
army  July  3,  the  same  year,  when  Washington 
took  command  of  it.  He  was  distinguished  in 
town  affairs,  and  often  called  to  places  of  honor 
and  trust.  He  died  February  8,  1820,  at  the 
great  age  of  ninety-nine.  The  brother,  Samuel 
Hastings  Jr.,  was  less  than  eighteen  on  the  day 
of  the  battle,  but  the  young  hero  appeared  with 
the    company  on   the   Common.      Soon  after,  he 


MINUTE     MAN,      1775. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        377 

volunteered  in  the  service,  and  was  one  of  General 
Lee's  life-guard  ;  he  was  taken  prisoner  with  him 
at  Long  Island.  At  the  time  of  his  capture  a  Brit- 
ish officer  struck  him  in  the  neck  with  a  sword. 
He  used  to  say  :  "  My  cue  saved  my  life,  as  it  broke 
the  force  of  the  blow,  though  my  wound  was 
severe."  He  was  afterward  paroled,  but  never  ex- 
changed. He  was  at  one  time  major  of  the  Lex- 
ington artillery.  Although  he  resided  on  the 
borders  of  Lincoln,  I  was  familiar  with  his  house, 
partly  from  the  circumstance  that  his  eldest  daugh- 
ter was  at  one  time  a  tenant  of  my  father  and 
lived  across  the  road  from  our  home.  I  saw  him 
often  :  he  was  a  man  with  strongly  marked  features 
and  a  stout  vigorous  frame  ;  he  died  January  8, 
1834,  having  nearly  reached  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  His  family  testified  their  honor  and  love 
for  him  by  erecting,  in  Lexington  Cemetery,  a 
beautiful  monument  to  his  memory,  with  the  hon- 
orable inscription,  "  A  Revolutionary  Soldier." 

It  should  be  noticed  that  while,  owing  partly  to 
the  scarcity  of  muskets,  only  some  sixty  men 
stood  at  any  one  moment  in  the  ranks  of  Captain 
Parker's  company, —  about  one  third  of  whom  were 
either  killed  or  wounded  on  or  near  the  spot,  or 
elsewhere,  during  the  day,  —  of  two  published 
rolls  of  the  company  one  contains  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  names,  the  other  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
And  there  is  evidence  that  there  were  not  less 
than  one  hundred  and  thirty  in  all,  including  the 
"  alarm   men,"  the  youth  and  the  superannuated, 


378  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

most  of  whom  were  in  arms  that  morning.  We 
have  in  print  depositions  dated  April  25,  1775, 
taken  by  order  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  of  four- 
teen persons,  who  say:  "  We  wTere  ordered  by  Cap- 
tain John  Parker  (who  commanded  us)  "  &c.  &c. 
Of  these  fourteen,  a  part  must  have  been  under 
military  age.  The  names  of  five  are  not  on  the 
printed  rolls,  but  should  be  preserved  in  history. 
They  are  Samuel  Hastings,  Nathaniel  Parkhurst 
(whom  I  cannot  identify,  but  think  he  was  a 
brother  of  John  Parkhurst,  who  was  in  the  battle) 
John  Munroe  3d,  Jonas  Parker  2d,  and  Micah 
Hagar  who  appears  in  the  list  of  the  "  first  cam- 
paign of  eight  months,  1775,"  and  again  with  the 
"  Men  who  enlisted  in  Lexington  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war,  and  served  in  the  Continental 
line."  Still  another  roll  of  one  hundred  and  eigh- 
teen names  is  found  in  the  "  Boston  News-letter/' 
June  3,  1826,  which  varies  from  the  two  others, 
containing  iive  names  more  than  one  of  them,  two 
less  than  the  other,  and  that  of  Stephen  Munroe, 
not  found  on  either. 

We  have  also  the  depositions  of  several  specta- 
tors of  the  battle.  Benjamin  Tidd  of  Lexington 
and  Joseph  Abbot  of  Lincoln  were  upon  the  Com- 
mon that  morning  on  horseback.  William  Draper 
of  Colrain  stood  within  three  or  four  rods  of  the 
Regulars,  and  saw  them  fire.  Thomas  Fessenden 
saw  Parker's  men  eighteen  or  twenty  rods  from 
the  meeting-house.  A  British  officer  rode  up 
within    six  rods  of  the  company,  and  cried    out 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        379 

"  Disperse  !  "  A  second  officer  then  fired  hjs 
pistol.  John  Bate  man  of  the  Fifty-second  Regi- 
ment, a  British  soldier,  probably  a  prisoner,  testified 
at  Lincoln,  April  23, 1775.  "  There  was,"  to  use  his 
words,  "  a  small  party  of  men  gathered.  When 
our  troops  marched  by  I  heard  the  word  of  com- 
mand given  to  the  troops  to  fire,  and  some  of  said 
troops  did  fire,  and  I  saw  one  of  said  small  party 
lie  dead  on  the  ground  nigh  said  meeting-house." 
This  may  well  offset  the  account  given  of  the 
battle  by  his  Excellency  Governor  Gage,  in  a 
letter  to  Governor  Trumbull  of  Connecticut, — 
which  makes  one  almost  despair  of  the  veracity 
of  history :  — 

I  ordered  six  companies  of  light-infantry  to  take  two 
bridges  in  Concord.  When  two  miles  from  Lexington 
they  heard  five  hundred  men  were  in  arms  to  oppose 
the  King's  troops.  .  .  .  Major  Pitcairn  saw  about  two 
hundred  armed  men.  ...  He  ordered  his  troops  not  to 
fire,  but  surround  and  disarm  them.  .  .  .  The  people 
fired  behind  a  wall,  wounded  a  man  of  the  Tenth  In- 
fantry, and  hit  the  Major's  horse  in  two  places.  .  .  . 
They  also  fired  from  a  meeting-house.  .  .  .  Then  the 
light-infantry,  without  order  or  regularity,  killed  several 
of  the  country-people,  but  were  silenced  as  soon  as  the 
authority  of  the  officers  could  make  them  ! 

I  knew  well  Jonathan  Loring,  as  a  neighbor,  his 
dwelling-house  being  some  third  of  a  mile  only 
from  my  father's.  When  it  was  known  that  sev- 
eral British  officers  had  gone  up  toward  Concord 
on   the  evening    of   the    18th,   Loring,   with  two 


380  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

others,  volunteered  to  follow  them  and  watch  their 
movements.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  detained 
several  hours,  until,  on  the  return  of  the  British 
officers,  he  was  set  at  liberty  on  or  near  Lexington 
Common.  He  bore  arms  in  the  battle,  and  he  was 
a  brave  man,  as  his  face  indicated,  although  quite 
lame  and  bowed,  as  I  recall  him.  His  courage 
and  patriotism  were  tested  by  his  marching  to 
Cambridge  with  a  detachment,  May  6,  and  also 
taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  He  was 
in  Cambridge  again  in  the  campaign  of  1776. 

His  family  took  a  prominent  part  on  the  19th  of 
April.  The  church  plate  was  kept  at  the  house  of 
his  father,  Deacon  Joseph  Loring ;  Lydia,  a  sister 
of  Jonathan,  took  this  plate  on  that  day  and  con- 
cealed it  under  some  brush  near  the  house,  to  pre- 
vent its  being  carried  off  by  the  British  soldiers. 
The  house  was  pillaged  and  burnt  by  the  British 
on  their  return  from  Concord.  Deacon  Loring 
made  out  a  full  statement  of  his  loss  at  that 
time  :  — 

A  large  mansion-house,  and  a  barn  70  ft. 
long,  and  a  corn-house,  all  burnt     ....    £ 850-0-0 

Household  goods  and  furniture,  viz  :  eight 
good  feather  beds  and  bedding ;  a  large  quan- 
tity of  pewter  and  brass  ware ;  three  cases  of 
drawers  ;  two  mahogany  tables,  with  the  furni- 
ture of  eiofht  rooms 230-0-0 

All  the  wearing  apparel  of  ray  family,  con- 
sisting of  nine  persons 60-0-0 

All  my  husbandry  tools   and  utensils,  with 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        381 

a  cider   mill  and   press,  with  five  tons  of  hay, 

and  two  calves 72-0-0 

About  two  hundred  rods  of  stone  wall 
thrown  down 5-0-0 

Specie 3-0-0 

£720-0-0 

N.  B. — The  above  mentioned  buildings  were  the  first 
that  were  destroyed  in  the  town,  and  near  the  ground 
where  the  brigade  commanded  by  Lord  Percy  met  the 
detachment  retreating  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith. 
It  does  not  appear  that  any  of  the  militia  were  in  or 
near  these  buildings  ;  neither  could  they  in  any  way  op- 
pose or  retard  the  British  troops  in  their  operations  ; 
therefore  the  destruction  must  be  considered  as  brutal, 

barbarous,  and  wanton. 

Joseph  Loring. 

I  have  spoken  of  Lydia  Loring,  the  energetic 
sister  of  our  subject.  His  daughter  Polly  was  a 
frequent  visitor  at  my  father's.  She  dispelled  my 
belief,  as  a  boy,  in  the  perfect  honesty  of  every- 
body living,  by  saying  one  day  in  my  hearing,  "  O 
Mrs.  M.,  there  is  so  much  deception  in  the  world. " 
Mr.  Loring  died  in  Mason,  New  Hampshire,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1830,  aged  eighty-one  years. 

The  committee  appointed  by  the  Provincial 
Congress,  May  12,  1775,  to  estimate  the  losses  by 
the  British  destruction  of  property,  April  19,  at 
Concord,  Lexington,  and  Cambridge,  report  the 
whole  loss  at  Concord,  £274.  16s.  7d.,  less  than  one 
half  of  Mr.  Loring's  at  Lexington  ;  at  Cambridge, 
£1,202.  8s.  7d.;  while  that  of  Lexington  was  £1,761. 


382  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Is.  15d.  The  details  of  the  losses  at  Lexington,  em- 
bracing no  less  than  twenty-four  names  of  those 
whose  houses  were  invaded  and  ravaged,  are,  in 
some  cases,  quite  touching.  Lydia  Winship,  be- 
lieved to  have  been  a  widow,  testified  that  her 
household  furniture  and  wearing  apparel  were  de- 
stroyed, with  her  loss  in  money,  to  the  amount  of 
£66.  13s.  4d.—  over  $330,  a  large  sum  in  that  day; 
while  Lydia  Mulliken,  a  widow,  with  her  son,  lost 
house  and  shop  by  fire,  with  furniture,  wearing  ap- 
parel, and  clocks  and  tools  of  her  son,  $2,155,  in 
real  and  personal  property.  Joshua  Bond  lost  his 
house,  shop,  and  other  property,  to  the  amount  of 
$946.  The  loss  of  William  Munroe  was  very 
heavy,  being  in  household  furniture,  clothing,  and 
goods  in  a  retail  shop,  over  $1000. 

Benjamin  Wellington  comes  before  my  memory 
when  he  was  at  an  advanced  age,  being  thirty-two 
at  the  time  of  the  battle.  1  remember  his  vigorous 
and  well-knit  frame ;  and  that,  though  of  moderate 
stature,  he  bore  a  commanding  presence.  He 
had  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  prisoner 
taken  within  the  town  that  day.  He  was  cap- 
tured early  in  the  morning,  at  the  foot  of  what 
is  now  called  Mount  Independence,  in  East  Lex- 
ington. The  British  officer  who  took  him  asked  : 
"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  firelock? 
Where  are  you  going  now  ?  "  He  replied,  "  I  am 
going  home."  "I  thought  within  myself,"  he 
used  to  say,  "  '  but  not  until  I  have  been  upon  the 
Common.' "     The   officer   took   his   firelock   from 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       383 

him,  and  soon  released  him  and  passed  on.  Mr. 
Wellington  then  left  the  main  road,  waded  through 
swamps,  and  reached  the  Common  in  time  to 
join  Captain  Parker's  company  before  the  en- 
gagement, having  secured  a  gun  which  he  doubt- 
less used  to  good  purpose  that  day.  He  was  with 
a  detachment  of  the  company  at  Cambridge  tjie 
ensuing  May  6th;  in  the  seventh  campaign,  1776, 
at  White  Plains  ;  and  was  a  sergeant,  having  with 
him  eight  men  from  Lexington,  at  the  taking  of 
Burgoyne  in  1777.  He  was  honored  in  town, 
holding  the  office  of  selectman  in  1785  and  1792. 
He  died  September  14,  1812,  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  his  age. 

Let  us  next  notice  Daniel  Mason.  I  premise  his 
record  by  saying  he  had  a  brother  Joseph  in  the 
battle,  of  whom  I  have  a  slight  remembrance.  He 
had  a  fine  form,  a  gentlemanly  appearance,  and 
was  a  distinguished  teacher  in  the  town.  He  died 
October  3,  1814,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  His 
estate  gave  the  name  to  a  place  still  called  Ma- 
son's Hollow.  The  house,  nearly  opposite  the  old 
Munroe  Tavern,  is  still  standing  and  occupied. 
Daniel  Mason  had  little  of  the  soldier  in  his  bear- 
ing, as  I  recollect  him,  although  he  did  his  duty  in 
the  little  band  under  Captain  Parker.  He  wore 
long  white  locks,  and  had  a  grave  and  apostolic 
countenance,  reminding  me  of  pictures  of  John 
Wesley.  But  he  could  sometimes  make  a  shrewd 
remark  with  a  very  sober  face.  One  day,  speak- 
ing to  my  father  of  generosity,  in  my  hearing,  he 


384  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

said,  "  I  never  feel  so  generous  as  when  I  have  n't 
a  single  cent  in  my  pocket."  Hapless  man !  he 
was  very  destitute  himself  at  the  last.  I  was  once 
the  bearer  of  a  little  gift  to  him,  I  think  the  day 
before  Thanksgiving,  and  the  old  man's  face 
lighted  up  as  if  he  had  received  a  fortune. 

Then  there  was  Joseph  Estabrook,  one  of  the 
youngest  on  the  immortal  roll  of  that  company ; 
for  he  was  then  but  a  month  beyond  the  age  of 
seventeen.  He  was  of  a  military  family,  his 
father  being  afterward,  in  1776,  in  the  campaign 
of  Ticonderoga.  Mr.  Estabrook  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1782,  and  was  ordained  at 
Athol,  November  21,  1787.  He  was  a  fine  look- 
ing man,  and  very  agreeable  in  manners  and  con- 
versation. In  my  youth  I  heard  him  preach, 
which  he  did  most  acceptably.  He  lived  long, 
active  to  the  last,  dying  April  30,  1831,  in  the 
forty-third  year  of  his  ministry,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four. 

I  recall  here  Joseph  Underwood.  March  7,  1825, 
Mr.  Underwood  testified  on  oath  before  my  father, 
who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  as  follows :  — 

On  the  evening  of  April  18,  1775,  about  forty  of  the 
militia  company  assembled  at  Buckman's  tavern,  near 
the  meeting-house,  for  the  purpose  of  consulting  what 
measures  should  be  adopted.  .  .  .  The  first  certain  in- 
formation we  had  of  the  approach  of  the  British  troops 
was  given  by  Thaddeus  Bowman,  between  four  and  five 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  when  Captain 
Parker's  company  were  summoned  by  the  beat  of  the 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.        385 

drum,  and  the  line  formed.  When  the  Regulars  had 
arrived  within  about  one  hundred  rods  of  our  line,  they 
charged  their  pieces  and  then  moved  toward  us  at  a 
quick  step.  Some  of  our  men,  on  seeing  them,  proposed 
to  quit  the  field.  [And  no  marvel,  fifty  or  sixty  undis- 
ciplined men  in  presence  of  six  hundred  regular  troops.] 
Captain  Parker  gave  orders  for  every  man  to  stand  his 
ground,  and  said  he  would  order  the  first  man  shot  that 
offered  to  leave  his  post.  I  stood  very  near  Captain 
Parker  when  the  Regulars  came  up,  and  am  confident  he 
did  not  order  his  men  to  disperse  till  the  British  troops 
had  fired  upon  us  the  second  time. 

Mr.  Underwood  was  a  man  of  modest  mien, 
quiet  in  manner  and  movement,  yet  of  that  firm 
air  and  bearing  which  was  needed  at  the  perilous 
hour  of  battle.  He  was  a  true  Independent.  I 
see  him  in  the  old  meeting-house.  He  walks  to  his 
pew  in  the  broad  aisle,  with  an  old  Roman  air. 
When,  in  a  midsummer  Sabbath  afternoon,  the 
preacher  is  lengthening  his  discourse  on  and  on, 
Mr.  Underwood  takes  his  coat  off,  and  stands  up 
for  a  change  and  relief  of  posture  ;  and  here  and 
there  some  good  old  farmer  is  seen  to  do  likewise. 
He  joined  a  voluntary  detachment  to  Cambridge, 
May  10,  1775 ;  and  again,  June  17,  we  find  him 
at  Bunker  Hill.  He  lived  until  February  27, 1829, 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty.  We  may  not  forget 
that  he  married  a  woman  who  doubtless  sustained 
and  animated  his  courage.  His  wife,  named  De- 
liverance, was  a  sister  of  the  patriot  hero,  Captain 
John  Parker.  In  commending  the  bravery  of  our 
own  sex  I  think  we  sometimes  overlook  and  fail 

25 


386  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

to  do  justice  to  the  noble  wives,  mothers,  and  sis- 
ters who  more  than  seconded,  who  often  prompted, 
the  heroic  deeds  of  those  days.  Some  wise  and 
true  man  should  seek  out  and  give  their  due  to 
the  as  yet  unrecognized  and  unrewarded  women 
of  the  Revolution. 

Something  should  be  said  of  Amos  Locke,  who 
resided  in  the  north  part  of  Lexington,  and  whose 
house  was  familiar  to  me  in  boyhood.  He  was  a 
man  of  large  frame,  and  above  the  ordinary  height. 
He  was  of  a  martial  air  and  spirit,  and  had  been 
braced  up  to  the  day  of  blood  in  our  town  by  hav- 
ing served  during  the  French  War  in  1762.  Like 
his  kinsman  Benjamin  Locke  —  who  reached  the 
age  of  eighty-five,  and  who  was  also  in  the  battle 
of  April  19  —  he  had  extraordinary  vitality;  he 
lived  until  July  27,  1828,  dying  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years. 

On  the  list  of  Captain  Parker's  company,  and  as 
a  corporal,  stands  the  name  of  Joel  Viles.  In  my 
early  days  he  was  quite  lame  and  infirm  ;  but  still 
his  florid  countenance  and  commanding  figure 
gave  assurance  of  the  energy  of  his  character. 
His  patriotism,  generosity,  and  personal  self-sacri- 
fice were  attested  by  the  fact  that  at  three  several 
times  after  the  battle  —  first  on  May  10  at  Cam- 
bridge, then  on  June  17,  and  finally  for  two  months 
in  1876  — he  bore  arms  for  his  country. 

A  word  should  be  said  of  John  Parkhurst,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Bowers  of  Billerica,  a  sister,  I 
think,  of  my  paternal  grandmother.     My  grand- 


DIAGRAM     OF     LEXINGTON     ROADS. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       387 

father  and  he,  both  of  them  in  Captain  Parker's 
company,  were  bound  together  alike  by  the  ties  of 
home  and  country,  and  their  remains  rest  in  the 
same  tomb  in  Lexington  churchyard.  "  They  were 
lovely  in  their  lives  and  were  not  divided"  in 
their  burial-place.  Although  Mr.  Parkhurst  died 
in  my  early  days,  his  face  was  quite  familiar. 
Among  other  things  the  red  cap  of  the  veteran 
at  church  made  a  strong  impression.  His  house 
was  on  the  line  of  march  of  the  British  troops 
toward  Concord,  a  charming  location,  solid,  simple, 
and  firm,  like  its  master.  He  was  in  the  cam- 
paign at  White  Plains,  and  was  honored  as  a 
selectman  of  the  town  of  Lexington.  He  died 
July  2,  1812,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

Joshua  Reed  I  knew  well,  as  his  son  Charles 
married  one  of  my  sisters.  He  was  a  man  of  portly 
bearing,  tall,  well  developed,  and  muscular.  His 
face  indicated  intelligence ;  his  conversation  was 
wise,  accompanied  by  a  manner  gentle  no  less  than 
dignified.  His  whole  character  gave  assurance  of 
a  man  of  mark.  His  lineage  was  rather  remarka- 
ble. The  father,  named  also  Joshua,  was  a  member 
with  him  of  Captain  Parker's  company,  and  a  sis- 
ter of  the  latter,  Betsey  Reed,  married  Ebenezer 
Muzzey,  a  brother  of  the  martyr  Isaac  Muzzey. 
Mr.  Reed  died  September  8,  1826,  aged  eighty 
years. 

Ebenezer  Simonds,  one  of  Captain  Parker's 
company,  and  in  the  battle  when  but  little  over 
seventeen  years  old,  was  of  a  family  distinguished 


388  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

as  large  landholders  in  Lexington,  and  who  held 
many  public  offices  in  town.  They  were  of  re- 
markable longevity.  His  father  died  at  eighty- 
three  ;  Joseph,  ensign  of  Parker's  company,  died 
at  seventy-three ;  Joshua,  so  brave  in  the  battle, 
died  in  his  seventieth  year  ;  his  son  of  the  same 
name,  at  eighty-eight;  and  the  subject  of  this 
notice  died  August  23, 1845,  at  eighty-seven.  He 
lived,  up  to  my  early  manhood,  on  the  old  home- 
stead occupied  by  his  grandfather.  His  clear  eye, 
compressed  mouth,  firmly  set  chin,  indeed  his 
whole  face  and  his  every  movement,  expressed 
great  force  of  character.  I  think  of  him  as  erect 
and  stalwart,  as  belonging  to  that  grand  old  race 
of  which  it  was  said,  "  Five  of  you  shall  chase  an 
hundred,  and  an  hundred  of  you  shall  put  ten 
thousand  to  flight."  To  the  last  his  eye  was  not 
dimmed,  nor  his  natural  force  abated.  He  was 
sorely  afflicted  by  losing  nine  of  his  ten  children, 
and  several  under  trying  circumstances.  I  was 
impressed,  in  attending  the  funeral  of  one  of  them 
in  my  boyhood,  by  his  fortitude,  mingled  with  a 
father's  tenderness. 

It  is  fitting  to  close  this  record  of  personal  re- 
collections with  a  tribute  to  him  who  was  the  last 
survivor  of  those  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton, Jonathan  Harrington.  For  many  years  a 
cotemporary  with  him,  I  knew  him  well.  He  was 
tall,  with  a  full  eye,  a  firm  mouth,  and — in  general 
—  a  marked  and  strong  face.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  and  curiosity  for  such  workman- 


LEXINGTON     MONUMENT. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       389 

ship  made  his  shop  a  favorite  resort  to  us  boys. 
Though  only  sixteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
the  battle,  he  was  a  fifer  in  Captain  Parker's  com- 
pany. No  marvel  he  began  life  a  Patriot,  and  con- 
tinued one  to  the  last,  for  his  own  father  was  in 
the  engagement,  beside  another  of  his  name,  also 
a  kinsman.  On  the  roll  of  Captain  Parker's  com- 
pany we  find  no  less  than  eleven  by  the  name  of 
Harrington,  a  noble  testimony  to  the  gallant  spirit 
of  the  family.  This  number  was  exceeded  only  by 
that  of  the  Munroes,  of  whom  there  are  fourteen. 
Then  come  the  Smiths,  who  sustained  the  family 
reputation  by  a  list  of  ten.  We  have  seven  of  the 
Keeds,  and  four  of  the  Tidds.  A  proud  heredity, 
all  this,  of  patriotism,  self-sacrifice,  and  bravery. 
It  is  due,  without  disparagement  of  others,  to  speak 
of  the  noble  service  of  the  Munroes  in  the  old 
French  War.  Sergeant  William  Munroe  served  in 
1754-55,  Lieutenant  Edmund  Munroe  in  1757, 
1758,  and  1761,  Jonas  Munroe  in  1755  and  1757, 
James  Munroe  in  1757,  1758,  and  1759,  Ensign 
Robert  Munroe  in  1758  and  1762,  David  Munroe 
in  1757  and  1759.  To  these  we  must  add  Thad- 
deus,  John,  Abraham,  Stephen,  and  Josiah.  Eleven 
of  one  name  and  family  in  the  French  War,  and 
fourteen  in  that  of  the  Revolution,  from  a  little 
town  (at  the  opening  of  the  latter)  of  only  seven 
hundred  inhabitants  !  Greece  and  Rome  cannot 
outshine  this  as  a  military  record. 

Preparatory  to   the    Centennial   celebration  in 
1875,  when    the   descendants    of  Ensign  Robert 


390  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

Munroe  joined  in  presenting  a  standard  to  the 
company  of  Lexington  Minute  Men,  the  name 
of  a  little  boy,  six  months  old,  Robert  Munroe 
Harrington,  born  September  10,  1874,  was  placed 
at  the  close  of  the  list.  What  a  roll  to  enter,  and 
what  a  lineage  for  that  unconscious  child,  the  heir 
of  two  names,  both  illustrious,  —  one  in  two  great 
wars,  and  the  other  in  the  opening  of  that  Revolu- 
tion which  did  so  much  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty  on  this  continent  and 
eventually  through  the  wide  world  ! 

Jonathan  Harrington  died  March  27,  1854,  hav- 
ing lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-five  years, 
eight  months,  and  eighteen  days.  He  would  re- 
late the  leading  incidents  of  the  day  of  blood  with 
the  deepest  interest.  His  mother,  a  pattern  mother, 
roused  him  early  that  day  with  the  cry  :  "  Jona- 
than, get  up ;  the  Regulars  are  coming,  and  some- 
thing must  be  done."  He  did  get  up,  hastened  to 
the  Common,  and  was  with  the  company  when  the 
British  drew  near.  And  "  something  was  done." 
At  the  age  of  ninety-one  he  attended  the  seventy- 
fifth  anniversary  of  April  19  at  Concord.  Being 
asked  for  a  sentiment,  he  gave,  out  of  his  full  pa- 
triotic heart,  the  following,  written  with  his  own 
hand :  "  The  19th  of  April,  1775  :  all  who  re- 
member that  day  will  support  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States." 

His  funeral  —  of  which  the  Hon.  Charles  Hud- 
son, in  his  History  of  Lexington,  gives  so  graphic 
an  account  —  was  attended  by  a  large  concourse ; 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       391 

and  it  was  an  imposing  spectacle,  —  thousands  of 
all  ages  and  conditions  gathered  by  one  common 
sentiment  of  respect  and  affection.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  that,  of  sixteen  survivors  of  the  Lexington 
battle  spoken  of  above,  the  average  age  at  their 
deaths  was  eighty-two  years  and  six  months.  A 
remarkable  coincidence  at  one  point  —  showing 
that  brave  men  often  outlive  their  great  sufferings 
in  war  —  is  that,  of  the  sixteen  survivors  of  the 
War  of  1812,  who  met  in  the  year  1877,  at  the 
end  of  sixty-five  years,  the  average  age  was  pre- 
cisely the  same,  eighty-two  years  and  six  months. 

One  thing  should  be  here  said  in  regard  to  the 
motives  of  the  Patriots  of  the  Revolution.  From 
their  first  to  their  last  act  they  were,  as  a  whole, 
free  from  the  temper  of  malice  and  revenge. 
Stirred  at  some  moments  to  indignation,  they  were 
still  calm  and  forbearing.  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  of 
Lunenburg,  in  the  annual  sermon  at  Lexington, 
April  19,  1783,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  says 
with  magnanimity,  although  he  and  others  could 
not  forget  the  transactions  of  the  past :  "  The  laws 
of  Christianity  oblige  us  to  forgive." 

In  speaking  of  the  character  of  the  men  before 
us,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that  they  were,  to  a 
large  extent,  cultivators  of  the  soil  which  they 
protected.  The  occupation  of  the  Patriots  at 
Lexington  is  indicated  by  the  circumstance  that 
their  home  was  originally  called  Cambridge 
Farms.  As  I  look  over  the  roll  of  Captain  Par- 
ker's   company    I    find    a    large    proportion    of 


392  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

them  were  farmers.  Several  family  estates  of 
to-day  have  descended  from  men  of  that  corps. 
My  grandfather  was  one  of  the  third  generation 
who  had  owned  and  occupied  the  same  estate;  and 
it  gives  me  pleasure  to  add  that  it  is  now  occupied 
by  a  representative  of  the  sixth  generation  of  the 
family.  It  was  the  taunt  of  the  British  aristocracy 
that  they  could  easily  put  down  "  the  peasantry  of 
America."  "  Five  regiments  of  Regulars  could," 
it  was  boasted,  "  easily  march  across  the  conti- 
nent." *  To  us  it  may  be  a  just  source  of  pride 
that  our  country  gained  its  independence  largely 
through  the  toils  and  sacrifices  of  the  owners  and 
tillers  of  the  soil.  "In  defiance,"  says  Edward 
Everett,  "  of  the  whole  exerted  powers  of  the 
British  Empire,  the  yeomanry  of  the  country  rose 
as  a  man,  and  set  their  lives  on  this  dear  stake  of 
liberty."  Without  detracting  in  the  least  from 
the  noble  services,  in  those  trying  days,  of  men 

1  Lord  Percy,  after  his  return  from  Lexington,  seems  to  have  changed 
his  mind  in  regard  to  the  intelligence  and  ability  of  the  Americans.  In 
a  letter  written  the  next  day,  April  20,  1775,  he  says,  in  connection  with 
the  history  of  the  repulse  the  day  before  of  the  force  of  Major  Pitcairn, 
and  the  reinforcement  of  "  grenadiers  and  light  infantry  "  under  Colonel 
Smith :  "  the  insurrection  turns  out  not  so  despicable  as  it  is  perhaps  im- 
agined at  home.  ...  I  never  believed  they  [the  rebels]  would  have 
had  the  perseverance  I  found  in  them  yesterday.  .  .  .  They  have  men 
among  them  who  know  very  well  what  they  are  about." 

The  "Columbian  Centinel"  of  Boston,  under  date  September  3,  1817, 
gives  the  following  obituary  :  "  In  England,  Prince  Hugh  Percy,  Duke 
and  Earl  of  Northumberland,  Baron  Percy  &c.  and  eight  other  titles, 
aged  seventy-six.  He  was  general  of  the  army.  .  .  .  The  deceased  Duke, 
at  the  commencement  of  the  American  Revolution,  commanded  the  Fifth 
British  regiment,  and  the  reinforcements  sent  out  to  the  troops  under 
Colonel  Smith,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775." 


THE  BATTLE  OF  LEXINGTON.       393 

in  other  vocations,  we  may  never  forget  that  it 
was  by  the  strong  arm  and  wise  counsels  of  the 
great  agriculturist  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  the 
united  labors  of  men  who  fought  under  him  for 
the  soil  they  owned,  that  the  foundations  of  our 
civil  and  religious  liberties  were  laid.  The  Ro- 
man Empire  fell  mainly  because  her  citizens  for- 
sook the  culture  of  the  land  by  their  own  hands. 
That  occupation  is  the  great  rock  of  a  nation's  vir- 
tue and  stability.  If  we  wish  to  uphold  this  coun- 
try through  all  ages  we  must,  like  our  fathers, 
secure  homes  for  the  people.  So  long  as  our 
citizens  are  living  largely  on  their  own  acres,  able 
and  ready  to  defend  them  against  every  aggressive 
or  disorganizing  power  and  influence,  the  Union 
will  be  safe.  We  need,  commerce,  the  mechanic 
arts,  manufactures,  and  every  branch  of  honest 
industry  for  our  complete  outward  prosperity ;  but 
all  honor  to  agriculture,  honor  to  those  brave 
farmers  who  "  poured  out  their  generous  blood 
before  they  knew  whether  it  would  fertilize  the 
land  of  freedom  or  of  bondage."  From  that  blood- 
offering  comes  a  voice  :  — 

"  Stern  and  awful  are  its  tones, 
As  the  patriot-martyr  groans  J 
But,  the  death-pulse  beating  high, 
Eapture  blends  with  agony." 

And  let  us,  looking  at  the  glorious  results  of 
the  storm  and  struggle  of  that  dawn  hour  of  the 
Revolution,  dwell  on  the  mid-day  sun,  which,  shin- 
ing out  from  these  our  skies,  lights  up  the  wide 


;94 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


world  of  aspirants  for  liberty.  Joy  for  April  ]  9, 
1775,  when  began  forming  that  patriot  procession 
led  by  the  immortal  Parker  and  his  brave  associ- 
ates. Heart  to  heart  and  hand  to  hand,  let  us 
pledge  ourselves,  and  may  we  be  followed  by  our 
latest  posterity,  to  honor  with  our  lips  and  our 
lives  the  memory  of  those  star-bright  names. 


THE    ENGLISH     RIGHT    OF    SEARCH. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MEN  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES 
IN  THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  chapter  immediately  preceding  this  gives 
a  narrative  of  the  opening  scenes  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  The  events  it  describes  are  con- 
fined to  Lexington,  Concord,  Boston,  and  its 
vicinity.  The  first  act  of  the  great  drama  was 
performed  by  New  England.  It  is  fitting  that 
this  book  should  close  by  a  distinct  reference  to 
that  portion  of  the  country  by  which  the  war  was 
more  especially  conducted  to  its  completion.  We 
ought  in  justice  to  speak  of  the  great  debt  due 
for  these  services  to  the  States  lying  out  of  New 
England.  We  may  never  forget  the  noble  work 
which  they  did  in  carrying  the  contest  forward  to 
its  success.  While  Massachusetts  and  her  asso- 
ciate States  of  the  North  initiated  the  labors  and 
perils  of  the  war,  it  was  left  largely  to  the  South- 
ern and  Middle  States  to  consummate  their  task. 

Who  was  the  man  chosen  to  take  command  of 
the  American  army  ?  Not  one  born  and  bred 
under  our  Northern  skies:  not  a  Prescott  or  a 
Ward  of  Massachusetts,  not  a  Putnam  of  Connecti- 


396  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

cut,  not  a  Greene  of  Rhode  Island,  a  Stark  of  New 
Hampshire,  or  an  Ethan  Allen  of  Vermont.  It 
was  to  Virginia  the  wide-spread  colonies  turned 
their  asking  eyes  for  this  momentous  service.  It 
was  her  soil  that  gave  us  our  Washington,  without 
whom  —  so  far  as  human  judgment  can  conceive 
—  this  incoherent  mass  of  colonies  would  never 

4 

have  come  together,  and  clung  hand  to  hand,  as 
they  did,  —  would  never  have  resolved  at  last  to 
break  the  yoke  of  British  domination,  and  never 
have  achieved,  declared,  and  established  their  free- 
dom and  independence. 

The  New  England  delegates  in  Congress  were 
prompt  in  discerning  the  military  merits  of  Wash- 
ington, as  seen  when  he  commanded  the  Virginian 
forces  against  the  French,  —  a  man  marked,  as  he 
was,  by  his  skill,  bravery  and  persistence  as  an 
officer.  Prominent  also  by  the  good  judgment 
and  sound  sense  he  had  exhibited  on  the  com- 
mittees of  the  Provincial  Legislature  and  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  lie  was  preferred  even  by  the 
New  England  army  above  General  Ward,  a  com- 
mander of  their  own.  It  is  to  be  noticed  also 
that,  while  the  chief  was  taken  from  Virginia,  and 
the  second  in  command  from  Massachusetts,  the 
third  was  Charles  Lee,  then  a  citizen  of  Virginia. 
To  that  State  the  whole  country  looked  for  lead- 
ing spirits. 

And,  looking  back  through  the  whole  struggle, 
we  see  this  choice  justified.  At  every  stage  of 
the  war,  Washington  —  amid  all  rivalries,   jeal- 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND    MIDDLE  STATES.     397 

ousies,  envy  among  officers,  distrust  of  some  called 
servants  of  the  people  —  steadily  rose,  and  demon- 
strated his  forecast  and  his  rare  gifts  for  military 
adjustments,  combinations,  and  comprehensive  ad- 
ministration. He  manifested,  too,  an  unflinching 
courage.  Systematic,  punctual,  careful  in  the  de- 
tails needful  for  success  in  active  operations,  he 
had  also  a  persistence  in  waiting  for  the  right 
moment  of  advance  and  a  power  to  endure  sus- 
pense, which  are  capital  qualities  in  a  good  gen- 
eral. He  could  bear  the  weightiest  responsibilities, 
and  meet  the  charges  that  spring  from  popular 
impatience  and  misrepresentation.  With  an  ever- 
changing  army  without  discipline  and  proper  re- 
spect for  his  authority,  amid  local  prejudices,  with 
troops  miserably  clad  and  armed,  and  sometimes 
destitute  of  food  for  the  day,  for  eight  long  years 
he  held  his  position  ;  and  out  of  clouds  and  thick 
darkness  a  bright  sun  at  last  rose,  and  he  reached 
the  end  of  his  anxieties,  toils,  and  sufferings  in  a 
glorious  victory. 

Often  we  see  the  South  earnest  and  adroit  in 
movements  that  sustain  the  feeble  cause.  At  one 
moment  a  few  bold  men  sail  from  Charleston, 
S.  C,  to  East  Florida,  and  surprise  and  capture, 
near  St.  Augustine,  a  vessel  containing  fifteen 
thousand  pounds  of  British  powder.  At  another, 
a  like  valuable  cargo  is  seized  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Georgia  on  its  arrival  from  England ;  and  seve- 
ral ships,  taking  military  stores  to  aid  the  foe  at 
Boston,  are  intercepted  upon   the  ocean.      Lord 


398  REMINISCENCES    AND   MEMORIALS. 

Dunmore  orders  and  effects  the  burning  of  Nor- 
folk in  Virginia,  —  so  flagitious  an  act  that  Wash- 
ington  can  restrain  his  indignation  no  longer,  but 
hopes  this  act  will  "unite  the  whole  country  in 
one  indissoluble  bond  against  a  nation  which  seems 
to  be  lost  to  every  sense  of  virtue  and  those  feel- 
ings which  distinguish  a  civilized  people  from  the 
most  barbarous  savages." 

The  course  of  Virginia  in  the  war  shows  its 
broad  spirit,  a  patriotism  which  rose  above  sec- 
tional interests  and  prejudices,  and  made  common 
cause  with  the  North  in  resisting  British  aggres- 
sions, and  by  word  and  deed  asserting  and  main- 
taining the  right  of  the  American  colonies  to 
freedom  and  independence.  The  oldest  of  the 
chartered  colonies,  she  played  her  part  firmly  and 
bravely  to  the  end.  What  Washington  did  quietly 
and  by  his  actions,  too  modest  for  speech,  others 
of  his  State  seconded  and  supported  by  their 
voices  and  their  pens. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  occasions  and 
influences  which  led  the  colonies  into  ultimate 
harmony.  Virginia  stands  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  Massachusetts,  and  step  by  step  several  States 
join  hands  on  the  same  side.  The  opposition  in 
some  colonies  is  strong  ;  but  by  degrees  New  Jer- 
sey, Maryland,  South  Carolina,  and  North  Carolina 
unite  their  votes  for  independence.  Led  by  South- 
ern sway,  the  States  of  the  North  are  united,  and 
the  Middle  States  give  in  their  adhesion  at  periods 
more  or  less  late,  until  finally  thirteen  colonies  re- 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.     399 

solve  that  "  these  united  colonies  are,  and  of  right 
ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  States,  that 
they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  Brit- 
ish Crown,  and  that  all  political  connection  be- 
tween them  and  the  State  of  Great  Britain  is,  and 
ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved." 

Although  the  military  operations  of  the  war 
began  in  New  England,  it  was  in  effect  closed  be- 
yond her  precinct  by  the  union  of  troops  from  the 
Southern  and  Middle  States  with  those  of  the 
North.  In  the  decisive  battle  of  the  storming  of 
Yorktown  were  seen  men  from  the  strong  line  of 
Pennsylvania ;  New  Jersey  was  there  with  one  of 
her  tried  brigades ;  Maryland  with  the  same  com- 
plement ;  New  York  added  a  battalion ;  and  brave 
little  Delaware  sent  her  two  companies. 

So  early  as  1768,  William  Livingston,  editor  of 
the  "  American  Whig  "  of  New  York  and  the  sub- 
sequent governor  of  New  Jersey,  wrote :  "  The 
day  dawns  in  which  the  foundation  of  this  mighty 
empire  is  to  be  laid,  by  the  establishment  of  a 
regular  American  constitution."  With  a  wise  and 
generous  outlook  to  the  future,  he  adds :  "  As  we 
conduct,  so  will  it  fare  with  us  and  our  children." 
New  Jersey  stood  firmly  by  the  side  of  Virginia; 
and  her  provincial  Congress  directed,  by  a  vote 
passed  Aug.  5,  1775,  that  fifty-four  companies,  of 
sixty-four  men  each,  amounting  to  three  thousand 
four  hundred  and  fifty-six  men  in  all,  should  be 
organized. 

While  we  of  the  North  reverence  the  Old  State 


100  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

House  in  Boston,  —  and  she  has  just  reinstated  it 
as  it  was  in  its  pristine  day,  when  John  Adams 
spoke  in  tones  of  thrilling  patriotism  from  its  old- 
time  portico,  —  and  while  we  are  straining  every 
nerve  to  save  the  Old  South,  where  Warren  bearded 
the  British  lion  in  his  den,  we  should  also  vener- 
ate Carpenter's  Hall  in  Philadelphia,  and  bring  to 
memory  young  Washington,  with  his  noble  offer, 
made  within  its  walls,  to  inarch  to  Boston  with  a 
thousand  men  for  its  relief;  and  Independence 
Hall  in  the  same  honored  city,  from  which  the 
brave  Declaration  of  July  4,  1776,  was  issued. 

And  I  am  anxious,  in  all  fairness,  to  do  ample 
justice,  in  this  connection,  to  individual  men  of  the 
Southern  and  Middle  States.  It  was  Virginia  that 
produced  Patrick  Henry,  —  that  man  who  scented 
the  outbreak  with  Great  Britain  afar  off,  and  so  early 
as  the  month  of  March,  1775,  uttered  in  Richmond 
—  his  tall  person  "  rising  erect  and  his  head  held 
proudly  aloft  "  as  he  spoke  — the  stirring  words  : 
"  Our  chains  are  forged !  their  clanking  is  heard 
on  the  plains  of  Boston ; "  and  closed  his  thrilling 
appeal  with  the  immortal  words  :  "I  know  not 
what  course  others  may  take ;  but  as  for  me, 
give  me  liberty,  or  give  me  death  !  "  It  was  Vir- 
ginia that  raised  up  Thomas  Jefferson,  author  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  who  was  first 
Secretary  of  State  in  Washington's  cabinet,  founder 
of  the  old  Republican  as  opposed  to  the  Federalist 
party ;  to  whom  many  of  our  present  most  pop- 
ular  and    truly   democratic    principles    must    be 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.     401 

traced ;  and  who  was  for  eight  years  President 
of  the  United  States.  From  Virginia  came  Rich- 
ard Henry  Lee,  who  was  born  January  20,  1732, 
and  died  June  19, 1794.  It  was  he  who,  on  June  7, 
1776,  made  the  first  bold  proposition  in  Congress, 
seconded  by  John  Adams  of  Massachusetts,  "  That 
the  united  colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be, 
free  and  independent  States,  and  that  all  political 
connection  between  them  and  the  State  of  Great 
Britain  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved."  In 
this  body  his  labors  were  incessant ;  while  a  mem- 
ber of  it  he  served  on  nearly  a  hundred  committees. 
In  his  own  State  and  in  Congress  he  showed  him- 
self a  devoted  patriot  and  an  eloquent  orator.  He 
was  a  personal  friend  of  Washington,  and  in  pri- 
vate life  manifested  unbounded  kindness  and  chari- 
ty. He  shed  lustre  on  the  name  of  a  family  who 
did  much  —  both  in  the  field  and  in  civil,  political, 
and  social  circles  —  to  originate  and  establish 
American  institutions.  Of  the  same  lineage  was 
the  brave  Colonel  Henry  Lee,  who  was  born  Janu- 
ary 29,  1756,  and  died  March  25,  1818.  He  was 
honored  by  the  commander-in-chief  and  by  a  vote 
of  Congress  for  his  brilliant  military  career  in 
the  war.  And  here  was  born  Thomas  Nelson,  the 
heroic  commander  of  Virginia's  militia  at  the 
siege  of  Yorktown,  and  afterward  made  their 
governor  by  his  own  State. 

We  should  advert  next  to  South  Carolina,  so 
fruitful  in  her  military  gifts  to  the  cause  of  the 
Revolution.     To  her  we  owe  John  Laurens,  aide 

26 


402  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

to  Washington,  engaged  in  the  attack  on  the 
British  lines  at  Savannah,  in  the  defence  of  Charles- 
ton, and  afterward  conspicuous  at  the  siege  of 
Yorktown,  where  he  led  the  forlorn  hope,  and 
captured  one  of  the  two  redoubts  which  were 
stormed.  He  was  killed  in  a  skirmish  by  a  party 
of  British,  and  when  the  news  of  his  death  reached 
his  father — who  had  been  President  of  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  and  for  that  offence  was  impris- 
oned in  the  Tower  of  London,  and  but  just  re- 
leased —  he  said  magnanimously,  "  I  thank  God  I 
had  a  son  who  dared  to  die  for  his  country."  We 
are  to  record  here  the  name  of  John  Rutledge, — 
a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  governor 
of  South  Carolina,  and  for  two  years  in  the  South- 
ern army  of  the  Revolution.  This  man,  so  brave 
in  military  service,  was  equally  conspicuous  in 
civil  affairs.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
which  framed  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  after- 
ward an  associate  judge  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court. 

Francis  Marion,  born  in  Georgetown,  S.  C,  in 
1732,  died  near  Eutaw,  February,  28, 1795.  He  was 
one  of  the  purest  patriots  of  tbe  Revolution.  Made 
a  captain  in  the  service  so  early  as  June  21,  1775, 
he  continued  in  the  army  until  the  near  prospect 
of  peace.  He  was  one  of  the  most  adroit  and  suc- 
cessful of  generals.  He  disbanded  his  brigade  De- 
cember 14,  1782,  with  a  tender  farewell  to  his 
faithful  followers ;  and  like  so  many  others,  South 
as  well  as  North,  he  retired  to  his  farm  almost  in 
poverty. 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.    403 

It  would  be  unjust  to  Thomas  Sumter  not  to 
place  his  name  in  the  catalogue  of  those  who  up- 
held the  war  in  South  Carolina,  True,  he  was 
born  (1734)  in  Virginia;  but  he  removed  early 
to  South  Carolina,"  and  lived  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  June  1,  1832,  when  he  was  ninety- 
eight  years  of  age,  and  the  last  surviving  general 
of  the  Revolution.  A  volunteer  soldier  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  he  was  present  at  the 
memorable  defeat  of  Braddock.  In  March,  1776, 
we  find  him  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  South  Carolina  riflemen.  After  the  cap- 
ture of  Charleston  by  the  British,  in  1780,  he 
takes  refuge  in  the  swamp  of  the  Santee.  Ris- 
ing to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  he  becomes 
foremost  among  the  active  and  influential  leaders 
of  the  South.  Follow  him  in  his  gallant  career. 
This  same  year  he  defeats  a  British  detachment 
on  the  Catawba ;  and,  although  surprised  and 
routed  at  Fishing  Creek,  August  18,  he  collects 
another  corps,  and,  November  12,  defeats  the  bold 
Colonel  Wemyss,  who  had  attacked  his  camp  near 
Broad  River.  After  a  few  days  General  Tarleton, 
a  British  officer,  attempts  to  surprise  him  while 
encamped  on  the  Tiger  River,  but  is  driven  back 
with  a  severe  loss  of  men.  We  find  Sumter, 
though  wounded  in  this  attack,  soon  again  in  the 
field.  In  March  of  the  next  year,  1781,  he  raises 
three  new  regiments,  and,  co-operating  with  the 
brave  Marion,  Pickens,  and  others,  he  harasses 
the  enemy  along  their  posts  scattered  amid  val- 


404  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

leys  and  swamps.  For  his  heroic  services  Con- 
gress, in  January,  1781,  passed  a  vote  of  thanks 
to  him  and  his  men.  When  the  American  gov- 
ernment was  established,  General  Sumter,  from 
1789  to  1793,  was  chosen  a  representative  in  Con- 
gress; from  1801  to  1809  he  was  United  States 
senator;  and  in  1809  he  was  appointed  minister  to 
Brazil,  where  he  continued  for  two  years.  In 
1811,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  years, 
he  closed  his  long  term  of  honorable  and  eventful 
services. 

We  cannot  fail  to  notice,  among  the  heroes  of 
South  Carolina,  Isaac  Huger.  He  was  of  a  family 
illustrious  for  their  services  in  the  Revolution, 
being  one  of  five  brothers  active  in  the  war.  Of 
wealthy  parentage,  the  sons  all  completed  their 
education  in  Europe.  Isaac,  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen, joins  Colonel  Middleton  in  his  bold  expedition 
against  the  Cherokee  Indians  in  1760.  He  is 
made  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  First  South  Caro- 
lina Regiment,  June  17,  1775,  and  soon  colonel 
of  the  Fifth  Regiment ;  he  takes  a  prominent  part 
in  the  operations  connected  with  the  siege  of 
Savannah  in  1778;  is  made  brigadier-general,  Jan- 
uary 19,  1779  ;  commands  a  force  of  cavalry  at  the 
siege  of  Charleston  in  1780;  and  closes  his  gallant 
services  at  the  two  points  of  Guilford  Court-house, 
March  15,  1781,  and  Hobkirk's  Hill,  April  25, 
of  the  same  year,  commanding  on  the  right  wing 
of  a  brigade  from  brave  old  Virginia.  From  this 
family  came  a  nephew  of  the  preceding,  Francis 


PATKIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.  405 

Kinlock  Huger,  who  was  born  in  1764,  and  died 
at  Charleston,  S.  C,  February,  1855,  at  the  great 
age  of  ninety-one  years.  It  was  he  who,  with  the 
generous  Bollman,  made  the  attempt  to  rescue 
Lafayette  from  the  dungeon  of  Olmutz.  Huger, 
for  this  offence,  was  placed  eight  months  in  close 
confinement  in  an  Austrian  prison.  He  came 
home  to  serve  his  country  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
was  honored  with  a  seat  in  both  branches  of  the 
legislature  of  his  own  State. 

We  ought  never  to  lose  sight  of  our  obligations 
for  the  Kevolutionary  services  of  the  Middle  States. 
New  Jersey  in  1776  became  a  great  battle-ground 
on  which  the  fortunes  of  the  Revolution  were 
once  at  stake.  Washington  was  there  with  his 
army,  and,  amid  perils  and  obstacles  of  fearful 
proportions,  held  his  position  with  an  almost  su- 
perhuman firmness,  wisdom,  skill,  and  persistency. 
His  own  army  was  disunited,  —  many  threatening 
to  quit  the  ranks,  some  tempted  by  Loyalists  to  de- 
sert his  command  and  join  the  forces  of  an  enemy 
proud,  strong,  and  defiant.  Forced  at  length  to 
cross  the  Delaware  and  pass  from  New  Jersey  into 
Pennsylvania,  it  was  only  a  timely  reinforcement, 
of  troops  from  that  State,  of  which  Philadelphia 
generously  furnished  fifteen  hundred,  that  saved 
him  from  a  disastrous  defeat.  This  reinforcement 
enabled  him  to  cross  the  Delaware,  and  on  the 
field  of  Princeton  win  a  victory  which  breathed 
hope  into  a  desponding  people,  and  gave  a  new 
lustre  to  the  name  of  our  immortal  chief.     For 


406  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

this  result  the  country  was  largely  indebted  to  one 
of  the  Pennsylvanian  commanders  by  whose  de- 
termined energy  those  troops  had  been  raised  in 
an  adjoining  State. 

It  is  not  easy  to  estimate  our  obligations  to  New 
Jersey  for  military  leaders  in  the  Revolution. 
Give  their  due  weight,  in  this  regard,  to  her  noble 
services  on  the  fields  of  Princeton,  Monmouth, 
and  elsewhere.  Consider  the  strength  of  her 
patriotism,  her  resistance  to  the  disloyal  within 
her  own  borders,  who  constantly  opposed  her  spi- 
rit, and — by  enticing  men  to  desert  our  American 
army,  or  by  enlisting  or  tempting  others  to  enlist  in 
the  British  army — would  baffle  her  best  efforts  in 
the  cause  of  freedom  and  independence.  Compute 
also  her  direct  contributions  to  the  Patriot  army 
in  the  form  both  of  money  and  men.  In  that  day 
of  small  things,  out  of  a  population  of  about  one 
hundred  thousand,  she  raised  for  the  war  nearly 
twenty  thousand  men,  including  almost  every 
male  capable  of  bearing  arms.  Add  to  all  this 
the  wise  and  steadfast  counsels  of  New  Jersey  in 
her  Provincial  Congress,  her  early  and  ready  co- 
operation with  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
the  blending  of  her  voice  and  her  vote  in  the 
great  united  resolve  for  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  you  will  accord  to  her  a  larger  part 
of  her  sometimes  unappreciated  dues. 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  claims  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ?  To  omit  all  special  notice  of  them  would 
be  gross  injustice.     In  Chester  County,  Pennsyl- 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.   407 

vania,  was  born,  January  1, 1745,  Anthony  Wayne. 
He  had  martial  blood  in  his  veins ;  his  grandfather 
was  in  the  famous  battle  of  the  Boyne,  and  his 
father  was  in  several  engagements  with  the  Indians. 
As  a  young  man  he  was  in  the  Pennsylvania  con- 
vention and  in  its  legislature.  When  but  thirty 
years  old,  in  September,  1775,  he  raised  a  regiment 
of  volunteers,  was  commissioned  as  colonel,  and 
joined  General  Sullivan  in  Canada  early  in  1776. 
Prominent  in  the  battle  of  Three  Kivers,  he  was  in 
command  of  the  fortresses  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Mount  Independence.  A  brigadier-general  in  May 
1777,  he  was  in  the  army  of  Washington  in  New 
Jersey.  Fearless  and  persistent,  at  the  battle  of 
Brandywine  we  see  him  all  day  opposing  the  right 
wing  of  Howe,  and  only  at  sunset  does  he  retreat. 
At  Germantown  he  leads  the  attack  on  the  enemy. 
During  the  winter  he,  lion-like,  makes  a  raid  within 
the  British  lines  and  captures  cattle,  horses,  and 
forage.  His  skilful  movements  at  Monmouth  are 
commended  by  Washington  in  his  account  of  that 
battle.  The  next  year  he  surprises  and  captures 
the  strong  garrison  of  Stony  Point  on  the  Hudson, 
and  is  wounded  in  the  engagement,  for  which 
services  he  receives  the  thanks  of  Congress  and  a 
gold  medal.  He  is  ordered  to  join  the  army  at 
the  South,  and  at  Jamestown,  Virginia,  by  a  gal- 
lant, dauntless,  and  prompt  attack  he  saves  the 
forces  of  Lafayette  from  defeat.  He  closes  his 
brilliant  career  by  aiding  in  the  capture  of  Corn- 
wallis,   soon  after  which  he  is  assigned  to  a  com- 


408  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

mand  in  Georgia,  puts  to  flight  large  bodies  of 
Indians  on  their  way  to  reinforce  the  British,  and 
at  length  drives  the  whole  enemy  from  that  State. 
After  a  respite  on  his  farm,  he  is  appointed  major- 
general  and  commander-in-chief  in  the  war  against 
the  Indians  at  the  West,  and  gains  a  victory  over 
the  determined  Miamis  in  August,  1794.  Ap- 
pointed sole  commissioner  to  treat  with  the  Indians 
of  the  Northwest,  he  takes  possession  of  all  the 
British  forts  in  that  region,  and  while  on  his  way 
home  from  that  victorious  movement,  he  dies  in 
armor. 

Among  the  men  distinguished,  not  only  in  the 
Revolution,  but  both  in  his  previous  and  subse- 
quent career  in  our  civil  history,  is  Thomas  Mifflin. 
Born  in  Philadelphia,  1744,  he  died  in  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  January  20,  1800.  Of  a  family 
marked  by  their  culture,  wealth,  and  social  position, 
he  was  called  into  public  life  in  1772  as  a  repre- 
sentative from  Philadelphia  in  the  Colonial  As- 
sembly, and  in  1774  was  a  delegate  to  the  first 
Continental  Congress.  Tha  all-observing  eye  of 
Washington  saw  his  military  capacities  and  at- 
tractive qualities,  and  selected  him  to  accompany 
himself,  as  his  first  aide-de-camp,  to  Cambridge, 
in  June  1775,  with  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was 
soon  promoted  to  the  office  of  adjutant-general, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1776  he  was  commissioned  as 
a  brigadier-general.  In  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
he  distinguished  himself,  and  was  active  during 
the  latter  part  of  1776  in  raising  large  reinforce- 


PATKIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.   409 

merits  in  Pennsylvania  for  the  army  of  Washing- 
ton. For  his  zeal  and  efficiency  in  the  service  he 
was  raised  to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  1777. 

In  1783  General  Mifflin  had  the  honor  of  receiv- 
ing the  resignation  of  Washington  as  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army.  The  same  year  he  was 
elected  to  Congress,  and  at  the  close  of  that  year 
became  its  president.  A  great  favorite  in  his  own 
State,  in  1785  he  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature.  In  1787  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  formed  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution.  While  Washington  was  presi- 
dent of  the  'Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  Thomas 
Mifflin  had  the  honor  of  being  its  vice-president. 
He  succeeded  Franklin  as  president  of  the  supreme 
executive  council  of  Pennsylvania  in  October, 
1788.  He  was  chosen  governor  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1790,  and  by  successive  re-elections  held  that 
office  until  a  short  time  before  his  death, 

We  cannot  sum  up  our  military  obligations  to 
Pennsylvania  better  than  by  a  sketch  of  the  career 
of  the  undaunted  and  resolute  Peter  John  Gabriel 
Muhlenberg.  Born  October  1,  1746,  he  died  near 
Philadelphia,  October  1,  1807.  He  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  in  England,  and  preached  at  Wood- 
stock, Virginia.  While  in  the  church,  and  after 
delivering  the  last  sermon  he  ever  preached,  — 
which  closed  with  these  patriotic  and  brave  words, 
"  There  is  a  time  for  all  things,  a  time  to  preach 
and  a  time  to  fight,  and  now  is  the  time  to 
fight," — he  stripped  off  his  gown,  put  on  a  uni- 


410  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

form,  read  his  commission  as  colonel,  and  began 
the  formation  of  a  regiment  among  his  parish- 
ioners. He  was  made  a  brigadier-general  in  1777, 
and  a  major-general  at  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

General  Muhlenberg  crowned  these  services  by 
filling  several  important  civil  offices.  He  was 
vice-president  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1785,  a  member  of  Congress  from  1789 
to  1791,  from  1793  to  1795,  and  from  1799  to  1801. 
That  year  he  was  elected  United  States  Senator, 
but  resigned  the  next,  and  was  appointed  super- 
visor of  the  revenue  for  the  district  of  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  from  1803  until  his  death  he  was  collector 
of  the  port  of  Philadelphia. 

We  do  not  forget  all  we  owe  to  Maryland,  for 
the  services  of  her  men  at  York  town, — to  the  com- 
manders of  her  regiments  and  battalions,  the  brave 
General  Mordecai  Gist,  and,  foremost  of  all,  to 
Tench  Tilghman,  the  brave  colonel,  favorite  aide 
of  Washington,  selected  by  him  to  bear  tidings  of 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  to  Congress. 

Let  us  give  due  credit  to  Georgia,  if  for  none 
other  of  her  many  offerings,  yet  for  the  gallant 
deeds  and  sacrifices  of  her  General  James  H.  Screv- 
ner,  who  fell  at  the  hard-fought  battle  of  Sunbury. 
From  this  same  Sunbury  it  was  that  the  patriot  and 
philanthropist,  Lyman  Hall,  was  sent  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Revolution,  May  13,  1775,  to  represent 
St.  John's  Parish  —  of  which  Sunbury  was  a  part  — 
in  the  colony  of  Georgia  in  the  General  Congress 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.     411 

of  the  colonies  gathered  at  that  early  day.  He 
went  from  a  district  which  had  in  it  the  blood  of 
the  venerated  Puritans.  This  grand  patriot  car- 
ried from  little  Sunbury  the  precious  gift  to  the 
suffering  republicans  of  the  Massachusetts  colony, 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  barrels  of  rice  and  £  50 
sterling  !  And  out  of  the  same  St.  John's  Parish, 
and  from  that  illustrious  little  town  of  Sunbury, 
went  two  men,  Lyman  Hall  and  Button  Guinnett, 
to  place  their  names  on  the  immortal  Declaration 
of  Independence. 

And  when  we  reflect  that  all  the  while  Georgia 
was  not  only  beset  by  a  foreign  enemy,  but  by 
disloyal  men  from  her  own  ranks,  and  by  "  preda- 
tory incursions  of  men  out  of  other  disaffected 
regions,  —  to  the  great  loss  and  disquietude  of  por- 
tions of  our  Province,"  as  the  sufferers  modestly 
record, — we  must  say  :  Well  done  brave,  patient, 
persistent  Georgia ;  great  should  be  your  commen- 
dation now  and  forever. 

How  shall  we  represent  the  debt  of  the  Revolu- 
tion to  that  pivotal  colony  and  original  Middle 
State,  New  York?  It  is  a  sketch  only  of  her 
claims  and  merits  that  we  can  here  give.  From 
this  mother  of  heroes  and  statesmen  came  the 
Livingstons.  Philip  Livingston,  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  was  born  in  Albany, 
New  York,  January  15,  1716,  and  died  June  12, 
1778.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Continental 
Congress  and  the  second,  was  in  the  -New  York 
Provincial  Congress,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  a 


412  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress,  then  sitting 
in  New  York.  Brockholst  Livingston,  a  soldier  and 
jurist,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  November  25, 
1757,  and  died  March  18,  1823.  He  was  aide-de- 
camp of  General  Schuyler  in  1776,  and  attended 
him  in  the  army  of  the  North  ;  was  in  the  suite  of 
General  Arnold  with  the  rank  of  major  ;  was  at  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne,  and  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  colonel.  In  1802  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  New  York ;  and  in  November, 
1828,  was  raised  to  the  bench  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  Robert  R.  Livingston,  born  in 
New  York  City,  November  27,  1746,  died  Febru- 
ary 26,  1813.  A  member  of  the  Second  Continen- 
tal Congress,  he  was  on  the  committee  of  five  who 
drafted  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  was 
a  member  of  Congress  in  1780 ;  was  the  first 
Chancellor  of  State,  and  in  that  office  until  1801. 
He  had  the  honor  of  administering  the  oath  of 
office  to  Washington  on  his  first  assuming  the 
duties  of  President  of  the  United  States,  April  30, 
1789. 

From  New  York  went  forth  James  Clinton, 
brother  of  Vice-president  George  Clinton,  who,  at 
the  battle  of  Yorktown,  as  major-general,  com- 
manded the  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Rhode 
Island  troops.  New  York  gave  to  the  Revolution 
Alexander  Hamilton,  whose  illustrious  and  patriotic 
virtues  shone  forth  from  the  nineteenth  year  of  his 
age,  in  1776,  when  he  sought  and  obtained  a  com- 
mission as  captain  of  an  artillery  company  in  the 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.  413 

State  of  New  York.  He  soon  attracted  the  notice 
of  Washington  by  his  labors  in  the  construction  of 
earthworks  at  New  York,  by  his  impulsive  energy 
at  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  and  by  his  valiant 
services  during  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Prince- 
ton. For  these  he  was  placed  as  aide-de-camp  on 
the  staff  of  the  commander-in-chief.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  battles  of  Brandywine  and  Ger- 
man town.  He  was  with  the  army  at  the  dreary 
camp  of  Valley  Forge,  and  united  with  Lafayette, 
Greene,  and  Wayne  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
June  28,  1778;  and  after  other  valuable  services, 
he  commanded  a  New  York  battalion  at  the  battle 
of  Yorktown,  and  under  Lafayette  led  in  the  at- 
tack and  capture  of  a  British  outwork  at  that  siege. 
To  these  early  military  exploits  we  should  add  his 
immortal  work  (together  with  that  of  Jay  —  a 
New  York  man  —  and  Madison)  on  "  The  Federal- 
ist;" his  being  selected  b}^  President  Washington  in 
1789  as  the  first  secretary  of  the  treasury ;  and  his 
rare  ability  in  founding  a  wise  and  judicious  sys- 
tem for  managing  the  financial  affairs  of  our  infant 
republic.  All  honor  to  Hamilton  that  he  immedi- 
ately succeeded  Washington  as  president  of  the 
Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  and  retained  that  posi- 
tion until  —  a  victim  to  misguided  views  —  he  met 
his  death  by  a  duel  July  11,  1804,  at  the  prime 
age  of  forty-seven  years. 

In  New  York,  Washington  spent  large  portions 
of  his  military  life  during  the  Revolution.  It  was 
to  her  borders  that  he  took  the  little  American 


414  REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 

army,  after  expelling  the  British  foe  from  Boston, 
March  17,  1776.  It  was  on  her  soil  that  Ethan 
Allen  —  when  asked  at  Ticonderoga,  May  10,  1775, 
by  a  British  officer,  by  whose  authority  he  de- 
manded the  surrender  of  that  fort  —  uttered  the 
startling  announcement :  "  In  the  name  of  Jehovah 
and  the  Continental  Congress."  It  was  there  the 
treason  of  Arnold  was  consummated ;  there,  at 
Newburgh,  April  19,  1783,  that  Washington  issued 
a  proclamation  of  the  cessation  of  hostilities  be- 
tween the  American  and  British  armies ;  there, 
May  13,  1783,  —  as  the  officers  of  our  army  were 
contemplating  their  near  and  final  separation,  in 
order  to  keep  alive  perpetually,  in  themselves  and 
through  their  posterity,  their  long-cemented  and 
tender  friendships,  —  that  they  instituted  the  order 
of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  On  that  spot 
they  received  the  exhilarating  news  that  a  treaty  of 
peace  and  amity  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  of  America  had  been  signed  in  Paris  ; 
and  New  York  has  the  honor  of  being  the  one  of  all 
the  original  States  destined  for  that  event,  —  the 
act  of  sundering  the  bonds  which  bound  the 
great  heart  of  the  commander-in-chief  to  every  offi- 
cer and  every  soldier,  down  to  the  humblest  in  the 
ranks,  personally  to  himself.  It  was  at  Newburgh, 
November  2,  1783,  that  he  promulgated  his  Fare- 
well Address  to  that  brave  band  of  comrades,  some 
of  whom  for  eight  long  years  had  stood  side  by 
side  with  him  in  what  to  others  had  been  their 
death  struggle.     And  "  on  that  sad  day,"  wrote  a 


PATRIOTS  OF  SOUTHERN  AND  MIDDLE  STATES.    415 

witness  of  the  scene,  "  how  many  hearts  were 
wrung." 

From  the  capital  of  this  State,  November  25, 
1783,  the  once  proud  British  army  finally,  after 
years  of  dominant  possession,  went  forth  forever ; 
and  Washington  entered  its  limits,  master  of  his 
ground,  with  none  to  molest  or  disturb  him. 

It  is  proposed  to  celebrate,  on  the  19th  of  April 
of  the  coming  year,  the  centenary  of  Washington's 
proclamation  of  the  cessation  of  hostilities  between 
Great  Britain  and  this  country.  The  people,  one 
and  all,  may  well  feel  the  pertinence  and  the  ur- 
gency of  the  patriotic  call.  If,  as  we  know,  on  that 
day,  guns  were  fired  by  the  little  remnant  of  the 
army  at  headquarters,  aroused  by  cannon  from  Fort 
Putnam  at  West  Point,  and  "  the  hills  were  lighted 
by  fires  kindled  by  the  rejoicing  people,"  we  ought, 
in  this  day  of  fifty  millions  of  a  prospering  popula- 
tion, to  repair  to  the  old  house,  once  the  home  of 
Washington,  and  still  standing,  and  recall  the  sac- 
rifices of  that  nature's  nobleman,  and  think  of 
that  hour  when  the  dissatisfied  army  around  him, 
in  their  poverty,  were  threatening  to  inarch  to  the 
capital  and  demand  justice  of  Congress.  See  the 
worn  and  wearied  hero  as  he  rises  to  read  his  patri- 
otic appeal  to  those  men.  He  pauses  before  he  pro- 
ceeds, to  adjust  his  glasses,  and  utters  the  touching 
words  :  "  These  eyes,  my  friends,  have  grown  dim, 
and  these  locks  white  in  the  service,  yet  I  never 
doubted  the  justice  of  my  country."  Happy  for 
us    if,  in  our  brighter  days,  we  can  catch  some- 


416 


REMINISCENCES    AND    MEMORIALS. 


thing  of  his  noble  unselfishness,  his  unwavering 
sense  of  duty.  Happy  for  us,  whether  present 
or  absent  on  that  closing  day  of  these  centennial 
observances,  if  we  try  to  do  something  that  shall 
quicken  in  our  generation,  —  and  leave,  as  our  best 
legacy  to  those  who  come  after  us — a  love  of  coun- 
try, sincere  and  deep,  nourished  in  their  childhood, 
pure  and  active  in  their  manliest  years,  and  stead- 
fast to  the  end. 


DIAGRAM    OF    CONCORD    VILLAGE. 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


A. 


Abbot,  John,  317. 

Joseph,  378. 
Adams  family,  8,  9,  54,  140, 173. 

Abigail,  64.         * 

Charles  Francis,  52,  66. 

Elizabeth,  72. 

Henry,  65,  70. 

John,  13,  45-52,  54,  59-64,  66-70, 
75,  76,  89,  93,  162, 189,  237,  282, 
286,  400,  401. 

John  Qnincy,  9,  48,  52-55,  57,  58, 
62,  64,  66,  67,  80,  93,  94,  216,  283. 

Mrs.  John,  62,  85. 

Rev.  Mr.,  391. 

Samuel,  13,  30,  68-72,  75,  76,  162, 
189,  282,  310,  367,  368. 
Aikin,  Miss,  175,  177. 
Aldrich,  Jonathan,  296,  298. 
Alexander,  Sarah,  260. 
Alfred  the  Great,  3. 
Allen,  Ethan,  396,  414. 
Allston,  Washington,  305. 
Allyne,  Marv,  25. 

Samuel,  26. 
Ames,  Fisher,  30,  93. 
Andre,  199. 

Andros,  Gov.  Edmund,  284. 
Armstead,  Col.  George,  248. 
Arnold,  Benedict,  193,  211,  244,  354, 

412,  414. 
Aubury,  a  British  writer,  198. 


B. 


Bacon,  Mercy,  23. 
Bailey,  Ebenezer,  96. 
Bainbridge,  Commodore,  256. 
Balcom,  Joseph,  207. 
Bancroft,  Captain,  195. 

George,  266. 
Barbour,  John  N.,  296. 
Barclay,  Commodore,  262, 264, 265,  267. 
Barrow,  Isaac,  163. 


Batchelder,  Samuel,  191. 
Bateman,  John,  379. 
Baury  family,  218. 

Francis,  218. 

Frederic,  218. 

Louis,  218. 

Rev.  Dr.  A.  L.,  219. 
Baylies,  Hodijah,  34. 
Beal,  Israel,  108,  112,  113. 
Beattie,  Amelia  L.,  242. 
Belcher,  Governor,  24. 
Bemis's  Heights,  108. 
Benton,  Thomas  H.,  281,  290. 
Bernard,  Governor,  135. 
Bigelow,  Abijah,  305. 

Colonel,  136. 
Billings,  William,  23. 
Bingham,  Jerusha,  146. 
Blaxton,  William,  77. 
Bliss,  George,  34. 
Bollman,  405. 
Bond,  222. 

Joshua,  382. 
Bourbon  family,  10. 
Boutelle,  Caleb,  307. 

Charles  Otis,  307. 

Enoch,  306. 

James  Thacher,  307. 

Lvdia,  305. 

Rachel,  305. 

Timothy,  105,  106,  300-302,  305. 

Timothy,  Jr..  305. 
Bowditch,  Dr.  Nathaniel,  311. 
Bowdoin,  Governor,  109,  301. 
Bowers,  Elizabeth,  386. 

Hannah,  292. 

Josiah,  292. 
Bowman,  Samuel,  207. 

Thaddeus,  384. 
Braddock,  General,  403. 
Bremer,  Frederikn,  338. 
Brewster,  9,  75. 
Brooks,  Abbv,  66. 

Charles,"T.,  296. 

John,  206-208,  220,  277,  282,  313, 
320.  ' 


27 


418 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


Brooks,  Peter  C,  66. 

Preston  S.,  224. 
Brown  family,  138,  141. 

Captain,  44. 

Dorothv,  138. 

Edward,  Jr.,  296. 

Elizabeth,  115. 

Francis,  138,  139,  141,  371. 

James,  140. 

John,  138,  365. 

John  (martyr),  346. 

Sergeant,  140. 

Solomon,  367. 
Brownell,  Thomas,  266. 
Buckman,  Marv,  140. 

John,  140,  367,  384. 
Buckminster,  Rev.  Joseph  Stevens,  305. 
Burgovne,  Gen.,  112, 133,  136, 191,  192, 
198/209,  244,  257,  354,  372,  373,  412. 
Burke,  Edmund,  63. 
Burn,  Thaddeus,  78. 
Burr,  Aaron,  31. 
Buss,  Ensign  John,  301. 


c. 


Cabot,  George,  34,  93. 
John,  119. 
Lydia  D.,  119. 
Lydia  (Dodge),  119. 
Caesar,  Julius,  3. 
Calhoun,  John  C,  281,  290. 
Calvin,  John,  163. 
Carver,  John,  9. 
Cary,  Mrs.,  376. 

Chamberlain,  Henrv  M.,  296,  298. 
Chandler,  Col.  John  L.,  373,  374. 

Gen.  Samuel,  369. 
Channing,  "William,  171. 

William  Ellery,  156,  157, 163.  169- 

177,  179-185,  229. 
William  H.,  296. 
Charlemagne,  3. 
Chastellux,  Marquis  de,  326. 
Chatham,  Earl  of,  63,  163. 
Chauncey,  Commodore,  261,  262. 
Cheverus,  Bishop,  30. 
Church,  Benjamin,  190  191,  284. 
Cicero,  238. 
Cincinnati,  Society  of  the,  15,  16,  186- 

242. 
Cincinnatus,  187. 
Clark  family,  78,  140,  141,  368. 

Rev.  Mr.,  128,  367,  368. 
Clay,  Henry,  281,  283,  290. 
Clinton,  George,  412. 
Gen.  James,  412. 
Cobb,  Gen.  David,  240,  241. 
Lois,  231. 

Mayor  S.  C,  96,  241,  242. 
Cockburn,  Admiral,  246. 
Cogswell,  William,  339. 


Coggswell,  Joseph  Green,  307. 

Colby.  Lot,  292. 

Conway,  193. 

Corbine.  Margaret,  197. 

Cornwallis,  General,  109,111,196,  209, 

210,  241,  328,  330,  331,  334,  410. 
Cranch  family,  60,  61. 

Judge,  60. 
Crane's  Artillery,  229,  231,  278. 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  20. 
Croswell,  Doctor,  204. 
.       Susan  C,  203.- 
Cunningham,  Ruth,  44. 
Custis,  G.  W.  P.,  321. 


D. 

Dana,  Chief  Justice  Francis,  220. 

Francis,  58. 

Lydia,  220. 

Lydia  (Trowb/idge),  220. 

Richard,  220. 
Dandridge,  Martha,  195. 
Dane,  Nathan,  34,  223. 
Danforth,  Samuel,  74. 
Davis.  Admiral   Charles  Henry,  231, 
232. 

Daniel,  231. 

Mrs.  C.  H.,  231. 
Dav,  John  Q.,  296. 

Dearborn,  Gen.  Henry,  243-245,  256, 
283. 

Henry  A.  S.,  255. 
Decatur,  Commodore,  268. 
Degrand,  P.  P.  F.,  54,  55. 
De  Grasse,  Count,  283,  334. 
De  Kalb,  Baron,  331. 
Demosthenes,  238. 
Dennie,  Joseph,  93. 
Dexter,  Samuel,  31,  93. 
Dickinson,  John,  46. 
Donnison,  William,  70,  74. 
Downes.  Harriet,  134. 

Lvdia,  134. 
Drake,  46. 
Draper,  Moses,  222. 

William,  378. 
Dryden,  John,  43. 
Dudley,  Governor,  102. 
Dudley  Observatory,  213. 
Dunham,  Daniel  24. 
Dunmore,  Lord,  397. 
Dummer,  Shubael,  125. 
Dupont,  Admiral,  232. 
D'Ynigo,  Chevalier,  274. 


E. 


Eliot,  Apostle,  256. 
Eliot  professorship,  229. 
Ellery,  Lucy,  171. 


INDEX   OF    NAMES. 


419 


Ellerv,  William,  156-160,  162-165, 171, 

172,  177. 
Elliot,  Rev.  Andrew,  78. 
Emerson,  Edward  Bliss,  346. 
Mary,  339. 

Ralph  Waldo,  337-347. 
William,  338,  340. 
Estabrook,  Rev.  Joseph,  384. 
Eustis,  Benjamin,  226. 

Gov.  William,    35,    225-227,  277, 
282,  313. 
Everett,  Edward,  17,  37,  91,  128,  238. 
281,  312,  313,  334,  346,  370,  392. 


Fairbanks,  31. 
Fairfield,  79. 

Farnham,  Ralph,  353,  354. 
Farwell,  Levi,  296. 

William,  296. 
Fenwick,  Bishop,  36'. 
Fessenden,  E.  S.,  136. 

Thomas,  378. 
Fichte,  56. 
Fish,  Hamilton.  239,  240. 

Nicholas,  239. 
Fiske,  Ebenezer,  369. 

Dr.  Joseph,  209,  211,  371. 
Flint,  Mrs.,  81. 

Rev.  James,  D.D.,  317. 
Follen,  Rev.  Charles,  LL.D,  175,  296- 

298. 
Foster,  Daniel,  211. 

Ruth,  357. 
Fowlis,  barony  of,  130. 
Fox,  Charles  James,  63. 
Francis,  Rev.  Dr.,  345. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  92,  282,  310,  332, 

409. 
Frederick  the  Great,  204. 
Freeman,  Constant,  231. 

Edward,  25. 

Lois,  231. 

Rev.  James,  D.D.,  231. 
French,  Rev.  Jonathan,  82. 
Frost,  Rev.  Barzillai,  296. 


G. 


Gage,  General,  70,  195,  373,  379,  413. 
Gardner's  Regiment,  222. 
Garfield,  President  James  A.,  18,  106. 
Garrison,  Wm.  Lloyd,  175,  297,  299. 
Gates,  General,  108,  136,  193,  204,  354. 
George  III.,  63,  368. 
Gerry,  Elbridge.  31. 
Gibbs,  Major,  326. 
Gist,  Gen.  Mordecai,  410. 
Goodwin,  Anne,  307. 
General,  307. 


Gore,  Christopher,  92. 
Gould,  Benj.  Apthorp,  212. 

Capt.  Benjamin,  211. 

Hannah  F.,  212. 

Prof.  B.A.,  212. 
Grant,  President  U.  S.,  240. 
Graves,  Hon.  J.  W.,  237. 
Gray,  116. 

Edward,  28. 

Edwin,  305. 

Harrison,  28. 

John, 26. 
Greaton's  Regiment,  222,  229. 
Greene,  General,  162,  261,  312,  332. 
Gridley,  225,  229. 

Jeremiah,  43. 
Griffith,  Master,  29. 
Grinnell,  Susan  B.,  133. 
Guinnett,  Button,  411. 


H. 

Hadley,  Samuel,  365. 
Hagar,  Micah,  378. 
Hale  family,  357. 

Amos,  357. 

Artemas,  357-359. 

Jacob,  358. 

Joseph,  357. 

Moses,  355,  356. 

Nathaniel,  357. 

Thomas,  357. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  31,  32,  262,  312, 

326,  330,  412. 
Hamlin  family,  221. 

Africa,  221. 

Asia,  222. 

Cyrus,  221. 

Hannibal,  221. 
Hampden,  19. 
Hall,  Lyman,  411. 
Hancock.  John,  70,  71,  78,  92,  140,  161, 

173,  282,  367,  368. 
Hannibal,  78. 
Harper,  30. 
Harrington  family,  389. 

Abigail  (Dunster),  135. 

Abijah,  366. 

Caleb,  365. 

Daniel,  373,  374. 

Jonathan,  135,  365,  366,  388,  390. 

Levi,  366. 

Robert  Munroe,  390. 
Harrison,  Gen.  Wm.  H.,  261,  262. 
Hastings,  Edmund  Trowbridge,  220. 

Edmund  T.,  Jr.,  221. 

Elizabeth  (Cotton),  220. 

Isaac,  375. 

John,  220. 

Jonathan,  220. 

Samuel,  376. 

Samuel,  Jr.,  376,  378. 


420 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


Hatch,  John  B.,  221. 
Hayden,  Horace  E.,  367. 
Hay  ward,  James,  369,  370. 
Heath,  General,  116. 
Hedge,  Professor,  24. 

Rev.  Frederick  H.,  D.D.,  296. 

Susan,  24. 
Henry,  Patrick,  400. 
Higginson,  Francis  J.,  296,  298. 
Hill,  Elizabeth,  226. 
Hoar,  Colonel,  135. 

Leonard,  80. 
Hobart,  Rev.  Peter,  104. 
Hopkins,  Edward,  83. 

Rev.  Samuel,  D.D.,  165. 

Stephen,  159. 
Horace,  the  Latin  poet,  212. 
Horton,  Rev.  Edward  A.,  106. 
Houdin,  Captain,  210. 
Howe,  General,  407. 
Hudson,  Hon.  Charles,  125.  254,  390. 
Huger,  Francis  Kinlock,  404. 

Gen.  Isaac,  404. 
Hull,  Commodore,  249. 

Gen.  William,  256-258. 
Hunt,  Nathaniel  P.,  296. 

Thomas,  207. 
Hutchinson,  Thomas,  194. 


Jackson,  207. 

Col.  Henry,  220.  241. 

Francis,  100. 

Joseph,  111. 

President  Andrew,  283,  285-291. 
James,  St.,  court  of,  67. 
Jarvis,  Charles,  71. 
Jay,  John,  413. 
Jefferson,  President  Thomas,  51,  52.  63, 

237,  258,  274,  282,  286,  400. 
Johnson,  Abram,  253. 

Andrew,  358. 

Joshua,  66. 

Louisa  Catharine,  66. 


K. 


Key,  Francis  Scott,  248,  249. 
Keyes,  Lucv,  358. 
King,  Rufus,  32. 
Kirkland  family,  143. 

Daniel,  143. 

George  Whitefield,  146. 

Mrs.  C.  M.,  271. 

Mrs.  Samuel.  146. 

Rev.  John  Thornton,  D.D.,  86. 
143,  146,  151,  152,  154. 

Samuel,  143-146, 148, 150, 151, 155. 
Knox,  John,  340. 

General,  112,  113,  201-204,  210, 
229,  231,  275,  278,  282,  283,  312, 
326,  372. 


L. 


Lafayette,  11, 12,  15.  82,  109,  113,  186- 
188,  203,  204,' 211,  275,  279,  308, 
310-336,  405,  407,  413. 

Edmond,  187. 

Madame  de,  333. 
Lane,  Henry,  72. 
Langdon,  Caroline,  227. 
Laurens,  John,  401. 
Lee,  Charles,  116,  193,  377,  396. 

Col.  Win.  Raymond,  256. 

Henry,  279,  280,  400. 

Richard  Henry,  401 . 
Levaseur,  Monsieur,  330. 
Lillie,  John,  278. 
Lincoln  family,  101-113. 

Abner,  105. 

Benjamin,  Jr.,  44. 

Caleb,  104. 

Countess  of,  102. 

David,  105. 

Deborah,  357. 

Ebenezer,  104. 

Gen.  Benjamin,  44,   106-113,  218, 
229,  282,  301,  312. 

Hosea  H.,  101. 

Isaac,  105. 

Jacob,  103. 

James,  105. 

James  Otis,  44. 

Joshua,  104. 

Loring,  105. 

Lydia,  105. 

Lydia  (Loring),  104. 

Luke,  104,  106,  302. 

Luther  B.,  101.       • 

Mary,  105,  112. 

Mordecai,  103. 

Percy,  106. 

President  Abraham.  103,  286,  299, 
358. 

Rachel,  101,  105,  106,  302. 

Rev.  Calvin,  101,  106. 

Samuel,  103. 

Solomon,  103. 

Stephen,  105. 

Thomas,  104. 

Thomas  the  Cooper,  103,  107. 

Thomas  the  Husbandman,  101-105. 

Thomas  the  Miller,  103. 

Thomas  the  Weaver,  103. 

William,  104. 
Little,  211, 
Little  &  Brown,  345. 
Livermore,  John,  296. 
Livingston  family,  411. 

Colonel  Brockholst,  412. 

Philip,  411. 

Robert  R.,  412. 

William,  399. 
Locke,  Amos,  386. 

Benjamin,  386. 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


421 


Longfellow,  Henry  Wadsworth,  347. 

Stephen,  Jr.,  34. 
Loring,  Deacon  Joseph,  380,  381. 

Jonathan,  379. 

Lvdia,  380,  381. 

Polly,  381. 
Lothrop,  Jerusha  (Kirkland),  155. 

John  H.,  155. 

Rev.  S.  K.,  D.D.,  155. 
Louis  XIV.,  105. 
Lovell,  Master,  28. 

Stephen,  296. 
Lovejoy,  Rev.  Elijah,  172. 
Lowell  family,  93. 

James  Russell,  343. 

Judge  John, 30. 
Lucius  III.,  Pope,  343. 
Lyman,  Joseph,  34. 

M. 

Macomb,  General,  253. 

Madison,  President,  63,  226,  245,  258, 

Makepeace,  Hester,  138. 

Malcolm  II.,  King,  130. 

Marion,  Gen.  Francis,  277,  402,  403. 

Marshall.  Chief  Justice,  310. 

Emily,  40. 

Josiah,  39. 
Mason,  Daniel,  383. 

Jeremiah,  344,  345. 

Joseph,  383. 
Mather,  Cotton,  102. 
Mauduit,  political  agent,  45. 
May,  Samuel,  112. 
Meriam,  Asa,  105. 
Merriam,  Rufus,  367. 
Middleton,  Colonel,  404. 
Mifflin,  Gen.  Thomas,  408,  409. 
Monro,  130. 
Moore,  Dorothy,  105. 

Lvdia,  116. 
Morrill,  Rev.  Mr.,  370. 
Moseley,  Ebenezer,  213. 

Edward  Strong,  213,  214. 

Hon.  Ebenezer,  213,  319. 

Samuel,  23,  24. 
Motier  familv,  308. 
Moultrie,  General,  309. 
Muhlenburg,  General,  409,  410. 
Mulliken,  Lydia,  382. 
Munroe  familv,  9,  130-137,  370,  389. 

Abraham,  389. 

Anna,  374. 

Anna  (Smith),  133. 

Captain.  136,  137. 

Capt.  Edmund,  142. 

Capt.  George,  131. 

Col.  William,   131-133,  368,  372, 
373,  382,  389. 

David,  132,  389. 

Doctor,  131. 


Munroe,  Dorcas,  129. 

Edward,  117. 

Ensign  Robert,  132,  374,  375,  389. 

George,  Baron  of  Fowlis,  131. 

James,  64,  132,  142,  389. 

Jedediah,  370. 

John,  389. 

John,  3d,  378. 

Jonas,  132,  389. 

Joseph,  68. 

Josiah,  389. 

Lieut.  Edmund,  117, 132,  135,  389. 

Pamelia,  142. 

Robert,  117,  131,  365. 

Sir  Robert,  131. 

Stephen,  378,  389. 

Thaddeus,  389. 

"Uncle  Jonas,"  134. 

William,  130,  133. 

William,  the  immigrant,  134,  135. 
Muzzey,  Amos,  Jr.,  305. 

Ebenezer,  387. 

Rev.  A.  B.,  296. 

Rev.  William,  133. 


X. 


Napoleon  L,  3, 164,  165,  218,  246,  249. 
Nash,  N.  C.  126. 
Nelson,  Thomas,  401. 
Nixon,  Thomas,  207. 
Noailles,  308. 

Norris,  Thomas  F.,  296,  298. 
Norton,  Jacob,  58,  59. 
Rev.  Andrews,  51. 

o. 

O'Hara,  General,  330. 
Oliver,  Chief  Justice,  49,  193. 
Oneida  Indians,  253. 
Onondaga,  Indian  Chief,  149. 
Orne,  the  Patriot,  116. 
Otis  familv,  8,  9,  21-47,  173. 

Bethiah,  24. 

Elizabeth,  44. 

Harrison  Grav,  21,  28,  31,  32,  34, 
36,  37,  88,  90,  93. 

James,  13,  26,  37,  41-46,  68,  283. 

Mrs.  Harrison  Gray,  Jr.,  39. 

Nathaniel,  25. 

Samuel  Allvne,  28,  110. 

Wm.  F.,  39"! 
Ovid,  212. 
Owen,  John,  296. 

P. 

Paddock's  Artillerv,  229. 
Paddy,  William,  35. 
Palfrey,  Rev.  Cazneau,  D.D.,  53. 
Palmer,  Ann,  77. 


422 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


Pares,  Judith,  77. 
Parker  family,  114-129. 

Amy,  114. 

Andrew,  127. 

Capt.  John,  114, 118, 129,  209,  226, 
283,  361,  364,  366,  370-378,  383- 
389,  391,  394. 

Daniel,  228. 

Ebenezer,  114,  129. 

Isaac,  226,  228. 

John,  116,  117,  119,  125,  127,  128, 
130,  139. 

Jonas,  114,  127,  128,  365. 

Jonas,  2d,  378. 

Jonathan,  125. 

Josiah,  115. 

Lydia  (Moore),  119. 

Margaret  (Jarvis),  228. 

Mrs.  Theodore,  123. 

Thaddeus,  114,  128. 

Theodore,  114,  118-127. 

Thomas,  114,  125. 
Parkhurst,  John,  378,  386,  387. 

Nathaniel,  378. 
Parsons,  Judge  Theophilus,  31,  93,  216. 

Surgeon  Usher,  266,  267. 
Payson,  Ruth,  358. 
Peabodv,  Augustus,  39. 
Percy,  Lord,  28,  370,  381,  392. 
Perkins,  Thomas  H.,  34. 
Perry,  Christopher  Raymond,  260. 
Perrv,   Commodore  O".   H.,    163,   249, 
260-267. 

Commodore  Matthew  Calbraith, 
268. 

Oliver  H.,  Jr.,  265,  267. 
Peter  the  Great,  3. 
Phillips,  Jonathan,  97. 

Samuel,  Jr.,  110. 

Wendell,  173. 
Phinney,  Maj.  Elias,  314. 
Pickens,  General,  403. 
Pickering,  John,  217. 

John,  Jr.,  217,  218. 

Octavius,  218. 

Timothv,  216,  218. 
Pierce,  Henry  L.,  279. 

Mrs.,  55. 
Pierpont,  Rev.  John,  90, 155,  317. 
Pinckney.  Charles,  323. 
Pitcairn,*Maj.  John,  362,  364,  366,  367, 

372,  379,  392. 
Pitt,  William,  9. 
Plantagenet  family,  10. 
Pope,  Alexander,  43. 
Popkin,  John,  228. 

John  S.,  229. 
Porter,  Asahel,  365. 
Porter's  Hall,  237. 

Prescott,  William,  29,  34,  284,  316,  395. 
Prince,  James,  318. 
Prince's  Chronology,  23. 
Proctor,  264. 


Putnam,  Gen.  Israel,  283,  353,  396. 
Putnam's  Regiment,  213. 
Pym,  19. 

Q. 

Quincy  family,  8,  9,  22,  36,  38,  65,  77- 

100,  173. 
Col.  Josiah,  79. 
Dorothy,  78. 
Edmund,  77-80,  99,  100. 
Eliza  S.,  98. 
Gen.  Samuel  M.,  99. 
John,  80. 
Josiah,  13,  21,  35,  37,  77,  80-98, 

153,  283,  313. 
Josiah,  Jr.,  77,  81,  91,  96-98. 
Josiah,  3d,  90. 
Mrs.  Edmund,  81. 
Mrs.  Josiah,  85. 


R. 


Raymond,  John,  133,  373. 
Reed,  Abigail  (Stone),  128. 

Betsey,  387. 

Charles,  387. 

Colonel,  136. 

Joshua,  387. 

Mary,  128. 

William,  128. 
Renan,  Ernest,  124. 
Revere,  Paul,  68,  368. 
Ripley,  Rev.  Ezra,  D.D.,  339. 
Ro  family,  130. 
Roe  familv,  130. 

Ocon,*  130. 
Rochambeau,  Count  de,  187,  188,  283, 
330,  334. 

General,  218. 
Rodgers,  Commodore,  268. 
Rogers,  Helen,  305. 

Judge,  305. 

Major,  135. 

Polly,  132. 

Secretary,  262. 
Royall  Professorship,  227. 
Russell,  Jonathan,  25,  42. 

Abigail,  25. 
Rutledge,  John,  402. 


S. 


Salem  (negro),  292. 

Sanderson,  Col.  Henry  S.,  248,  249. 

Elijah,  367. 

Mrs.,  134. 

Mrs.  Margaret,  248. 
Sanrent,  Hosea,  266. 
Schuyler,  General,  257,  412. 
Screvener,  Gen.  J.  H.,  410. 
Sewall,  Sophia,  134. 
Shakespeare,  43. 


INDEX    OF   NAMES. 


423 


Shaw,  Chief  Justice,  36,  305. 

Samuel,  96. 
Shavs  Rebellion,  30, 109,  133,  151,  218, 

226,  300,  373. 
Shepard,  Rev.  Thomas,  303. 
Sheridan,  Richard  Brinsley,  63. 
Shirley,  Governor,  226. 
Shnonds,  Ebenezer,  387. 
Joseph,  387. 
Joshua,  365,  387. 
Skeneando,  the  Indian  Chief,  147. 
Smith  family,  58-62,  389. 
Abigail,  66. 
Abigail  C,  134. 
Anna,  132. 
Anna  (Parker),  132. 
Benjamin,  132. 
Col.   Francis,  362,   364,   366,   370, 

381,  392. 
Isaac,  28. 
John  M.,  296. 
Lucy,  206. 
Sparks,  Rev.  Jared,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  155. 
Spencer,  General,  213. 
Sprague,  Charles,  90,  333. 
Stanley,  Dean,  124. 
Standish,  Miles,  9. 
Stark,  Gen.  John,  244,  284,  396. 
Stearns,  Hannah,  119. 
Stebbins,  Rev.  Rufus  P.,  D.D.,  84. 
Steuben,  Baron  Von,  15,  109,  204-208, 

276,  283,  332. 
Stone,  Anna,  115. 
Elizabeth,  211. 
John,  115. 

Rachel  (Shepard),  115. 
Susanna,  222. 
Story,  Judge  Joseph,  31,  223,  255,  313. 
Streame,  Elizabeth,  22. 
Strong,  Rev.  Mr.,  162. 

Governor,  202. 
Stuart  family,  10. 
F.  T.,278. 

Gilbert,  89,  265,  277,  283,  334. 
Stuvvesant,  Governor,  240. 
Sullivan,  Gen.  John,  244,  407. 

William,  34,  90. 
Sumner,  Benjamin,  73. 
Charles,  223. 
Charles  Pinckney,  222. 
James,  73. 
Job,  222. 
Sumter,  Gen.  Thomas,  403,  404. 
Svdnev,  Algernon,  20. 
Syms/Rev.  Mr.,  303. 


T. 


Tappan,  Professor,  152. 
Tarleton,  General,  403. 
Taylor,  Father,  36,  342. 
Thacher,  Surgeon,  197. 


Thatcher,  Henry  Knox,  203. 
Thaxter,  Rev.  Joseph,  316,  318. 
Thomas,  Joshua,  34. 
Thomson,  Charles,  159. 
Tidd  family,  389. 

Benjamin,  378. 

William,  374,  375. 
Tighlman,  Colonel,  326,  410. 
Towne,  Judith,  358. 
Trumbull,  Col.  John,   the  artist,  271, 
324. 

Gov.  Jonathan,  379. 
Tuckerman,  Rev.  Joseph,  D.D.,  179. 
Tudor  family,  10. 

William,  author,  30. 

Judge,  228. 

u. 

Underwood.  Deliverance,  385. 
Joseph,  384,  385. 


Van  Buren,  President  Martin,  67,  290. 

Vassall,  Colonel,  191,  194. 

Viles,  Joel,  386. 

Vinton,  Rev.  Dr.  Francis,  266. 

Virgil,  212. 

Vose's  Regiment,  209. 

w. 

Walcott,  Robert  F.,  100. 
Walcutt,  William,  266. 
Waldo,  Daniel,  34. 

Peter,  343. 
Walker,  Rev.  James,  D.D.  LL.D.,  92, 
318. 
Joseph,  292. 
Ward,  Gen.  Artemas,  29,  354,  395,  396. 
Ware,  Rev.  Henrv,  D.D..  44,  293-296. 

Rev.  Henry,  "Jr.,  D.D.,  296,  343. 
Warren,  Abigail  (Collins),  233. 
Dr.  John,  233. 
Dr.  John  Collins,   233.  234. 
Dr.  Joseph,  117,  225,  233,  400. 
Gen.  James,  26. 
Washington,    17,  24,  27,  63,  108-113, 
133,  136,  186-210,  215,  216,  239, 
241,  244,  257,  259,  269-282,  309, 
310,  313,  317,  323-335,  350,  351, 
354,  372,  373,  396,  398,  400-415. 
Martha.  85,  194. 
Mary,  85. 
Waterhouse,  Dr.  Benjamin,  112. 
Wavne,  General,  326,  328,  407,  413. 
Webb,  Colonel,  257. 
Webster,    Daniel,   8.  52,   66,  69,  235- 
239,  283,  290,  317,  318,  346. 
Hon.  Ebenezer,  235. 


424 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


Wellington,  Benjamin,  382,  383. 
Wemvss,  Colonel,  403. 
Wesley,  John,  383. 
West,  Rev.  Dr..  152. 
Wetherbv's  Tavern,  70,  361. 
Wheelock,  Jonathan,  133. 

Rev.  Dr.,  144,  146. 
Whitcomb,  Col.  Asa,  300. 
White,  Haffield,  207. 
Whitney,  Sarah,  127. 

George,  48,  51,  53. 
Whittemore,  Samuel,  361. 
Whittier,  John  G.,  201. 
Wisjglesworth,  Rev.  Dr.,  149. 
Wilde,  Samuel  S.,  34. 
Wilder,  Abel,  355,  356. 

David,  106. 


Willard,  President,  149. 

Sidney,  296. 
Winship,  Lydia,  382. 
Winthrop  family,  9,  238. 

Robert  C,  238. 
Wirt,  William,  238,  255. 
Woodbridge,  Rev.  John,  125. 
Wright,  John,  115. 

Mary,  115. 
Wyer,  Edward,  135. 
"  Elizabeth,  135. 


Y. 

York  family,  10. 

Young,  Rev.  Alexander,  D.D.,  102. 


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